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CHOICE WORKS OF COOPER. 


REVISED AND CORRECTED SERIES. 

WITH 

NEW INTRODUCTIONS, NOTES, ETC. 


VOL. Y. 


THE PIONEERS. 


































tr » 







I ; : > 














. :: v 











































Psi & 


THE 


PIONEERS;-. 

fic vt y J 

OR, 

THE SOURCES OF THE SUSQUEHANNA. 

A DESCRIPTIVE TALE. 


BY 

J. # FENIMORE COOPER. 

U 


“Extremes of habits, manners, time, and space, 
Brought close together, here stood face to face, 

And gave at once a contrast to the view,' 

That other lands and ages never knew.” 

Paulding. 


* * « 

COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME. 

WITH THE LATEST REVISION AND CORRECTIONS OF THE AUTHOR, 


NEW YORK: 

STRINGER & TOWNSEND 
185 6 . 


7Z3 

C7SU 

°\ 


Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by 
STRINGER & TOWNSEND, 

In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern 

District of New York. 


i 


R. C. Valentine, Stereotyper. 




J. F. Trow, Printer. 


INTRODUCTION. 


As this work professes, in its titlepage, to be a de- 
scriptive tale, they who will take the trouble to read 
it may be glad to know how much of its contents is 
literal fact, and how much is intended to represent a 
general picture. The Author is very sensible that, had 
he confined himself to the latter, always the most 
effective, as it is the most valuable, mode of conveying 
knowledge of this nature, he would have made a far 
better book. But in commencing to describe scenes, 
and perhaps he may add characters, that were so 
familiar to his own youth, there was a constant tempt- 
ation to delineate that which he had known, rather 
than that which he might have imagined. This rigid 
adhesion to truth, an indispensable requisite in history 
and travels, destroys the charm of fiction ; for all that 
is necessary to be conveyed to the mind by the latter 
had better be done by delineations of principles, and 
of characters in their classes, than by a too fastidious 
attention to originals. 

New York having but one county of Otsego, and 
the Susquehanna but one proper source, there can be 
no mistake as to the site of the tale. The history of 
this district of country, so far as it is connected with 
civilized man, is soon told. 

Otsego, in common with most of the interior of the 
province of New York, was included in the county of 


VI 


INTRODUCTION. 


Albany, previously to the war of the separation. It then 
became, in a subsequent division of territory, a part of 
Montgomery ; and, finally, having obtained a sufficient 
population of its own, it was set apart as a county by 
itself, shortly after the peace of 1783. It lies among 
those low spurs of the Alleghanies which cover the 
midland counties of New York ; and it is a little east of 
a meridional line drawn through the centre of the 
state. As the waters of New York either flow south- 
erly into the Atlantic, or northerly into Ontario and 
its outlet, Otsego Lake, being the source of the Sus- 
quehanna, is, of necessity, among its highest lands 
The face of the country, the climate as it was found 
by the whites, and the manners of the settlers, are 
described with a minuteness for which the Author has 
no other apology than the force of his own recol- 
lections. 

Otsego is said to be a word compounded of Ot, 
a place of meeting, and Sego, or Sago, the ordinary 
term of salutation used by the Indians of this region. 
There is a tradition which says, that the neighboring 
tribes were accustomed to meet on the banks of the 
lake to make their treaties, and otherwise to strengthen 
their alliances, and which refers the name to this prac- 
tice. As the Indian agent of New York had a log 
dwelling at the foot of the lake, however, it is not im- 
possible that the appellation grew out of the meetings 
that were held at his council fires : the war drove off’ 
the agent, in common with the other officers of the 
crown ; and his rude dwelling was soon abandoned. 
The Author remembers it a few years later, reduced 
to the humble office of a smoke-house. 

In 1779, an expedition was sent against the hostile 
Indians, who dwelt about a hundred miles west of 


INTRODUCTION. 


vii 


Otsego, on the banks of the Cayuga. The whole coun- 
try was then a wilderness, and it was necessary to 
transport the baggage of the troops by means of the 
rivers — a devious but practicable route. One brigade 
ascended the Mohawk, until it reached the point near- 
est to the sources of the Susquehanna ; whence it cut 
a lane through the forest to the head of the Otsego. 
The boats and baggage were carried over this “ port- 
age,” and the troops proceeded to the other extremity 
of the lake, where they disembarked, and encamped. 
The Susquehanna, a narrow though rapid stream at 
its source, was much filled with “ flood wood,” or fallen 
trees ; and the troops adopted a novel expedient to 
facilitate their passage. The Otsego is about nine 
miles in length, varying in breadth from half a mile 
to a mile and a half. The water is of great depth, 
limpid, and supplied from a thousand springs. At 
its foot, the banks are rather less than thirty feet 
high ; the remainder of its margin being in mountains, 
intervals, and points. The outlet, or the Susque- 
hanna, flows through a gorge in the low banks just 
mentioned, which may have a width of two hundred 
feet. This gorge was dammed, and the waters of 
the lake collected : the Susquehanna was converted 
into a rill. When all was ready, the troops embarked, 
the dam was knocked away, the Otsego poured out its 
torrent, and the boats went merrily down with the 
current 

General James Clinton, the brother of George Clin- 
ton, then governor of New York, and the father of De 
Witt Clinton, who died governor of the same state in 
1827, commanded the brigade employed on this duty. 
During the stay of the troops at the foot of the Otsego 
a soldier was shot for desertion. The grave of this 


INTRODUCTION. 


viii 

unfortunate man was the first place of human inter- 
ment that the author ever beheld, as the smoke- 
house was the first ruin ! The swivel alluded to in this 
work was buried and abandoned by the troops on 
this occasion ; and it was subsequently found in dig- 
ging the cellars of the Author’s paternal residence. 

Soon after the close of the war, Washington, ac- 
companied by many distinguished men, visited the 
scene of this tale, it is said, with a view to examine 
the facilities for opening a communication by water 
with other points of the country. He stayed but a few 
hours. 

In 1785, the Author’s father, who had an interest in 
extensive tracts of land in this wilderness, arrived 
with a party of surveyors. The manner in which the 
scene met his eye is described by Judge Temple. At 
the commencement of the following year the settle- 
ment began ; and from that time to this the country 
has continued to flourish. It is a singular feature in 
American life, that, at the beginning of this century, 
when the proprietor of the estate had occasion for 
settlers on a new settlement, and in a remote county, 
he was enabled to draw them from among the increase 
of the former colony. 

Although the settlement of this part of Otsego a 
little preceded the birth of the Author, it was not 
sufficiently advanced to render it desirable that an 
event, so important to himself, should take place in 
the wilderness. Perhaps his mother had a reasonable 
distrust of the practice of Dr. Todd, who must then 
have been in the novitiate of his experimental ac- 
quirements. Be that as it may, the Author was 
brought an infant into this valley, and all his first im- 
pressions were here obtained. He has inhabited it 


INTRODUCTION. 


IX 


ever since, at intervals ; and he thinks he can answer 
for the faithfulness of the picture he has drawn. 

Otsego has now become one of the most populous 
districts of New York. It sends forth its emigrants 
like any other old region ; and it is pregnant with 
industry and enterprise. Its manufactures are pros- 
perous ; and it is worthy of remark, that one of the 
most ingenious machines known in European art is 
derived from the keen ingenuity which is exercised 
in this remote region. 

In order to prevent mistake, it may be well to say 
that the incidents of this tale are purely a fiction. 
The literal facts are chiefly connected with the natu- 
ral and artificial objects, and the customs of the in- 
habitants. Thus the academy, and court-house, and 
jail, and inn, and most similar things, are tolerably 
exact. They have all, long since, given place to other 
buildings of a more pretending character. There is 
also some liberty taken with the truth in the descrip- 
tion of the principal dwelling : the real building had 
no “ firstly” and “ lastly.” It was of bricks; and not 
of stone ; and its roof exhibited none of the peculiar 
beauties of the “ composite order.” It was erected in 
an age too primitive for that ambitious school of archi- 
tecture. But the Author indulged his recollections 
freely when he had fairly entered the door. Here all 
is literal, even to the severed arm of Wolfe, and the 
urn which held the ashes of Queen Dido.* 

* Though forests still crown the mountains of Otsego, the bear, the 
wolf, and the panther are nearly strangers to them. Even the innocent 
deer is rarely seen bounding beneath their arches ; for the rifle, and the 
activity of the settlers, have driven them to other haunts. To this change 
(which, in some particulars, is melancholy to one who knew the country 
in its infancy) it may be added, that the Otsego is beginning to be a 
niggard of its treasures. 

1* 


X 


INTRODUCTION. 


The Author has elsewhere said that the character of 
the Leather-Stocking is a creation, rendered proba- 
ble by such auxiliaries as were necessary to produce 
that effect. Had he drawn still more upon fancy, the 
lovers of fiction would not have so much cause for 
their objections to his work. Still the picture would 
not have been in the least true, without some substitutes 
for most of the other personages. The great propri- 
etor resident on his lands, and giving his name to, in- 
stead of receiving it from, his estates, as in Europe, is 
common over the whole of New York. The physician, 
with his theory, rather obtained than corrected by 
experiments on the human constitution ; the pious, 
self-denying, laborious, and ill-paid missionary ; the 
half-educated, litigious, envious, and disreputable law- 
yer, with his counterpoise, a brother of the profession, 
of better origin and of better character ; the shiftless, 
bargaining, discontented seller of his “ betterments 
the plausible carpenter, and most of the others, are 
more familiar to all who have ever dwelt in a new 
country. 

It may be well to say here, a little more explicitly, 
that there was no intention to describe with particular 
accuracy any real characters in this book. It has 
been often said, and in published statements, that the 
heroine of this book was drawn after a sister of the 
writer, who was killed by a fall from a horse now near 
half a century since. So ingenious is conjecture, that 
a personal resemblance has been discovered between 
the fictitious character and the deceased relative ! It 
is scarcely possible to describe two females of the same 
class in life, who would be less alike, personally, than 
Elizabeth Temple and the sister of the author who 
met with the deplorable fate mentioned. In a word, 


INTRODUCTION. 


XI 


they were as unlike in this respect, as in history, 
character, and fortunes. 

Circumstances rendered this sister singularly dear 
to the author. After a lapse of half a century, he is 
writing this paragraph with a pain that would induce 
him to cancel it, were it not still more painful to have 
it believed that one whom he regarded with a reve- 
rence that surpassed the love of a brother, was con- 
verted by him into the heroine of a work of fiction. 

From circumstances which, after this Introduction, 
will be obvious to all, the Author has had more plea- 
sure in writing “ The Pioneers’' than the book will, 
probably, ever give any of its readers. He is quite 
aware of its numerous faults, some of which he has 
endeavored to repair in this edition; but as he has 
— in intention, at least — done his full share in amusing 
the world, he trusts to its good nature for overlooking 
this attempt to please himself. 











THE PIONEERS, 

OR THE 

SOURCES OF THE SUSQUEHANNA. 


CHAPTER I. 

See, Winter comes, to rule the varied year, 

Sullen and sad, with all his rising train ; 

Vapors, and clouds, and storms. — 

Thomson. 

Neap, the centre of the State of New York lies an extensive 
district of country, whose surface is a succession of hills and 
dales, or, to speak with greater deference to geographical defini- 
tions, of mountains and valleys. It is among these hills that 
the Delaware takes its rise ; and flowing from the limpid lakes 
and thousand springs of this region, the numerous sources of 
the Susquehanna meander through the valleys, until, uniting 
their streams, they form one of the proudest rivers of the United 
States. The mountains are generally arable to the tops, 
although instances are not wanting where the sides are jutted 
with rocks, that aid greatly in giving to the country that 
romantic and picturesque character which it so eminently pos- 
sesses. The vales are narrow, rich, and cultivated ; with 
a stream uniformly winding through each. Beautiful and 
thriving villages are found interspersed along the margins of 
the small lakes, or situated at those points of the streams which 
are favorable to manufacturing; and neat and comfortable 
farms, with every indication of wealth about them, are scattered 
profusely through the vales, and even to the mountain tops. 
Roads diverge in every direction, from the even and graceful 


14 


THE PIONEERS. 


bottoms of the valleys, to the most rugged and intricate passes 
of the hills. Academies, and minor edifices of learning, meet 
the eye of the stranger at every few miles, as he winds his way 
through this uneven territory ; and places for the worship of 
God abound with that frequency which characterizes a moral 
and reflecting people, and with that variety of exterior and 
canonical government which flows from unfettered liberty of 
conscience. In short, the whole district is hourly exhibiting 
how much can be done, in even a rugged country, and with a 
severe climate, under the dominion of mild laws, and where 
every man feels a direct interest in the prosperity of a common- 
wealth, of which he knows himself to form a part. The expe- 
dients of the pioneers who first broke ground in the settlement 
of this country, are succeeded by the permanent improvements 
of the yeoman, who intends to leave his remains to moulder 
under the sod which he tills, or, perhaps, of the son, who, born 
in the land, piously wishes to linger around the grave of his 
father. Only forty years* have passed since this territory was 
a wilderness. 

Very soon after the establishment of the independence of the 
States, by the peace of 17 83, the enterprise of their citizens was 
directed to a development of the natural advantages of their 
widely extended dominions. Before the war of the revolution 
the inhabited parts of the colony of New York were limited to 
less than a tenth of its possessions. A narrow belt of country, 
extending for a short distance on either side of the Hudson, 
with a similar occupation of fifty miles on the banks of the 
Mohawk, together with the islands of Nassau and Staten, and a 
few insulated settlements on chosen land along the margins of 
streams, composed the country, which was then inhabited by 
less than two hundred thousand souls. Within the short 
period we have mentioned, the population has spread itself over 
five degrees of latitude and seven of longitude, and has swelled 
to a million and a half of inhabitants, f who are maintained in 

* The book was written in 1823. 

t The population of New York is now (1831) quite 2,000,000. 


THE PIONEERS. 


15 


abundance, and can look forward to ages before the evil day 
must arrive, when their possessions shall become unequal to 
their wants. 

Our tale begins in 1793, about seven years after the com- 
mencement of one of the earliest of those settlements, which 
have conduced to effect that magical change in the power and 
condition of the state, to which we have alluded. 

It was near the setting of the Gun, on a clear, cold day in 
December, when a sleigh was moving slowly up one of the 
mountains, in the district we have described. The day had 
been fine for the season, and but two or three large clouds, 
whose color seemed brightened by the light reflected from the 
mass of snow that covered the earth, floated in a sky of the 
purest blue. The road wound along the brow of a precipice, 
and on one side was upheld by a foundation of logs, piled one 
upon the other, while a narrow excavation in the mountain, in 
the opposite direction, had made a passage of sufficient width 
for the ordinary travelling of that day. But logs, excavation, 
and everything that did not reach several feet above the earth, 
lay alike buried beneath the snow. A single track, barely wide 
enough to receive the sleigh,* denoted the route of the highway, 
and this was sunk nearly two feet below the surrounding sur- 
face. In the vale, which lay at a distance of several hundred 
feet lower, there was what in the language of the country was 
called a clearing, and all the usual improvements of a new set- 
tlement ; these even extended up the hill to the point where the 
road turned short and ran across the level land, which lay on 
the summit of the mountain ; but the summit itself remained in 

* Sleigh is the word used in every part of the United States to denote a traineau. 
It is of local use in the west of England, whence it is most probably derived by the 
Americans. The latter draw a distinction between a sled, or sledge, and a sleigh ; 
the sleigh being shod with metal. Sleighs are also subdivided into two-horse and 
one-horse sleighs. Of the latter, there are the cutter, with thills so arranged as to 
permit the horse to travel in the side track ; the “ pung,” or “ tow-pung,” which is 
driven with a pole ; and the “ gumper,” a rude construction used for temporary pur- 
poses, in the new countries. 

Many of the American sleighs are elegant, though the use of this mode of convey- 
ance is much lessened with the melioration of the climate, consequent on the clear- 
ing of the forests. 


10 


THE PIONEERS. 


forest. There was a glittering in the atmosphere, as if it were 
filled with innumerable shining particles ; and the noble bay 
horses that drew the sleigh were covered, in many parts, with a 
coat of hoar frost. The vapor from their nostrils was seen to 
issue like smoke ; and every object in th« view, as well as every 
arrangement of the travellers, denoted the depth of a winter in 
the mountains. The harness, which was of a deep dull black, 
differing from the glossy varnishing of the present day, was orna- 
mented with enormous plates and buckles of brass, that shone 
like gold in those transient beams of the sun, which found their 
way obliquely through the tops of the trees. Huge saddles, 
studded with nails, and fitted with cloth that served as blankets 
to the shoulders of the cattle, supported four high, square- 
topped turrets, through which the stout reins led from the 
mouths of the horses to the hands of the driver, who was a 
negro, of apparently twenty years of age. His face, which 
nature had colored with a glistening black, was now mottled 
with the cold, and his large shining eyes filled with tears; a tri- 
bute to its power, that the keen frosts of those regions always 
extracted from one of his African origin. Still there was a 
smiling expression of good humor in his happy countenance, 
that was created by the thoughts of home, and a Christmas 
fire-side, with its Christmas frolics. The sleigh was one of 
those large, comfortable, old-fashioned conveyances, which would 
admit a whole family within its bosom, but which now con- 
tained only two passengers besides the driver. The color of its 
outside was a modest green, and that of its inside a fiery red. 
The latter was intended to convey the idea of heat in that cold 
climate. Large buffalo skins, trimmed around the edges with 
red cloth, cut into festoons, covered the back of the sleigh, and 
were spread over its bottom, and drawn up around the feet of 
the travellers — one of whom was a man of middle age, and the 
other a female, just entering upon womanhood. The former 
was of a large stature ; but the precautions he had taken to 
guard against the cold left but little of his person exposed to 
view. A greatcoat, that was abundantly ornamented by a 


THE PIONEERS. 


17 


profusion of furs, enveloped the whole of his figure, excepting 
the head, which was covered with a cap of marten skins, lined 
with morocco, the sides of which were made to fall, if neces- 
sary, and were now drawn close over the ears, and fastened 
beneath his chin with a black riband. The top of the cap was 
surmounted with the tail of the animal whose skin had furnished 
the rest of the materials, which fell back, not ungracefully, a few 
inches behind the head. From beneath this mask were to be 
seen part of a fine manly face, and particularly a pair of express- 
ive, large blue eyes, that promised extraordinary intellect, covert 
humor, and great benevolence. The form of his companion 
was literally hid beneath the garments she wore. There were 
furs and silks peeping from under a large camlet cloak, with a 
thick flannel lining, that, by its cut and size, was evidently 
intended for a masculine wearer. A huge hood of black silk, 
that was quilted with down, concealed the whole of her head, 
except at a small opening in front for breath, through which 
occasionally sparkled a pair of animated jet-black eyes. 

Both the father and daughter (for such was the connexion 
between the two travellers) were too much occupied with their 
reflections to break a stillness, that received little or no interrup- 
tion from the easy gliding of the sleigh, by the sound of their 
voices. The former was thinking of the wife that had held this 
their only child to her bosom, when, four years before, she had 
reluctantly consented to relinquish the society of her daughter, 
in order that the latter might enjoy the advantages of an educa- 
tion, which the city of New York could only offer at that period. 
A few months afterwards death had deprived him of the remain- 
ing companion of his solitude ; but still he had enough of real 
regard for his child, not to bring her into the comparative 
wilderness in which he dwelt, until the full period had expired, 
to which he had limited her juvenile labors. The reflections of 
the daughter were less melancholy, and mingled with a pleased 
astonishment at the novel scenery she met at every turn in the 
road. 

The mountain on which they were journeying was covered 


18 


THE PIONEERS. 


with pines, that rose without a branch some seventy or eighty 
feet, and which frequently doubled that height, by the addition 
of the tops. Through the innumerable vistas that opened 
beneath the lofty trees, the eye could penetrate, until it was 
met by a distant inequality in the ground, or was stopped by a 
view of the summit of the mountain, which lay on the opposite 
side of the valley to which they were hastening. The dark 
trunks of the trees rose from the pure white of the snow, in re- 
gularly formed shafts, until, at a great height, their branches shot 
forth horizontal limbs, that were covered with the meagre foliage 
of an evergreen, affording a melancholy contrast to the torpor 
of nature below. To the travellers, there seemed to be no wind ; 
but these pines waved majestically at their topmost boughs, 
sending forth a dull, plaintive sound, that was quite in conso- 
nance with the rest of the melancholy scene. 

The sleigh had glided for some distance along the even sur- 
face, and the gaze of the female was bent in inquisitive, and, 
perhaps, timid glances, into the recesses of the forest, when a 
loud and continued howling was heard, pealing under the long 
arches of the woods, like the cry of a numerous pack of hounds. 
The instant the sound reached the ears of the gentleman, he 
cried aloud to the black — 

“ Hold up, Aggy ; there is old Hector ; I should know his 
bay among ten thousand ! The Leather-stocking has put his 
hounds into the hills, this clear day, and they have started their 
game. There is a deer-track a few rods ahead ; — and now, 
Bess, if thou canst muster courage enough to stand fire, I will 
give thee a saddle for thy Christmas dinner.” 

The black drew up, with a cheerful grin upon his chilled 
features, and began thrashing his arms together, in order to 
restore the circulation to his fingers, while the speaker stood 
erect, and, throwing aside his outer covering, stepped from the 
sleigh upon a bank of snow, which sustained his weight without 
yielding. 

In a few moments the speaker succeeded in extricating a 
double-barrelled fowling-piece from among a multitude of 


THE PIONEERS. 


19 


trunks and bandboxes. After throwing aside the thick mittens 
which had encased his hands, that now appeared in a pair of 
leather gloves tipped with fur, he examined his priming, and 
was about to move forward, when the light, bounding noise of 
an animal plunging through the woods was heard, and a fine 
buck darted into the path, a short distance ahead of him. 
The appearance of the animal was sudden, and his flight 
inconceivably rapid ; but the traveller appeared to be too keen 
a sportsman to be disconcerted by either. As it came first into 
view he raised the fowling-piece to his shoulder, and, with a 
practised eye and steady hand, drew a trigger. The deer 
dashed forward undaunted, and apparently unhurt. Without 
lowering his piece, the traveller turned its muzzle towards his 
victim, and fired again. Neither discharge, however, seemed 
to have taken effect. 

The whole scene had passed with a rapidity that confused the 
female, who was unconsciously rejoicing in the escape of the 
buck, as he rather darted like a meteor, than ran across the 
road, when a sharp quick sound struck her ear, quite different 
from the full, round reports of her father’s gun, but still 
sufficiently distinct to be known as the concussion produced by 
fire-arms. At the same instant that she heard this unexpected 
report, the buck sprang from the snow to a great height in the 
air, and directly a second discharge, similar in sound to the 
first, followed, when the animal came to the earth, falling head- 
long, and rolling over on the crust with its own velocity. A 
loud shout was given by the unseen marksman, and a couple 
of men instantly appeared from behind the trunks of two of the 
pines, where they had evidently placed themselves in expecta- 
tion of the passage of the deer. 

“Ha! Natty, had I known you were in ambush, I should 
not have fired,” cried the traveller, moving towards the spot 
where the deer lay — near to which he was followed by the 
delighted black, with his sleigh ; “ but the sound of old Hector 
was too exhilarating to be quiet ; though I hardly think I struck 
him either.” 


20 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ No — no — Judge,” returned the hunter, with an inward 
chuckle, and with that look of exultation that indicates a 
consciousness of superior skill * “ you burnt your powder only 
to warm your nose this cold evening Did ye think to stop 
a full grown buck, with Hector and the slut open upon him 
within sound, with that pop-gun in your hand ? There’s plenty 
of pheasants among the swamps ; and the snow-birds are flying 
round your own door, where you may feed them with crumbs, 
and shoot them at pleasure, any day ; but if you’re for a buck, 
or a little bear’s meat, Judge, you’ll have to take the long rifle, 
with a greased wadding, or you’ll waste more powder than 
you’ll fill stomachs, I’m thinking.” 

As the speaker concluded, he drew his bare hand across the 
bottom of his nose, and again opened his enormous mouth with 
a kind of inward laugh. 

“The gun scatters well, Natty, and it has killed a deer before 
now,” said the traveller, smiling good-humoredly. “ One 
barrel was charged with buck-shot ; but the other was loaded 
for birds only. Here are two hurts ; one through the neck, 
and the other directly through the heart. It is by no means 
certain, Natty, but I gave him one of the two.” 

“ Let who will kill him,” said the hunter, rather surlily, “ I 
suppose the creature is to be eaten.” So saying, he drew a 
large knife from a leathern sheath, which was stuck through his 
girdle or sash, and cut the throat of the animal. “ If there are 
two balls through the deer, I would ask if there wer’n’t two 
rifles fired — besides, who ever saw such a ragged hole from a 
smooth-bore, as this through the neck? — and you will own 
yourself, J udge, that the buck fell at the last shot, which was 
sent from a truer and a younger hand, than your’n or mine 
either ; but for my part, although I am a poor man, I can live 
without the venison, but I don’t love to give up my lawful dues 
in a free country. Though, for the matter of that, might often 
makes right here, as well as in the old country, for what I can 
see.” 

An air of sullen dissatisfaction pervaded the manner of the 


THE PIONEERS. 


21 


hunter during the whole of this speech ; yet he thought it 
prudent to utter the close of the sentence in such an under 
tone, as to leave nothing audible but the grumbling sounds of 
his voice. 

“ Nay, Natty,” rejoined the traveller, with undisturbed good 
humor, “it is for the honor that I contend. A few dollars 
will pay for the venison ; but what will requite me for the lost 
honor of a buck’s tail in my cap ? Think, Natty, how I should 
triumph over that quizzing dog, Dick Jones, who has failed seven 
times already this season, and has only brought in one wood- 
chuck and a few grey squirrels.” 

“ Ah ! the game is becoming hard to find, indeed, Judge, 
with your clearings and betterments,” said the old hunter, with 
a kind of compelled resignation. “ The time has been, when I 
have shot thirteen deer, without counting the fa’ns, standing in 
the door of my own hut ! — and for bear’s meat, if one wanted 
a ham or so, he had only to watch a -nights, and he could shoot 
one by moonlight, through the cracks of the logs ; no fear of 
his over-sleeping himself neither, for the howling of the wolves 
was sartin to keep his eyes open. There’s old Hector,” — patting 
with affection a tali hound, of black and yellow spots, with 
white belly and legs, that just then came in on the scent, 
accompanied by the slut he had mentioned ; “ see where the 
wolves bit his throat, the night I druv them from the venison 
that w r as smoking on the chimbly top ; — that dog is more to 
be trusted than many a Christian man ; for he never forgets a 
friend, and loves the hand that gives him bread.” 

There was a peculiarity in the manner of the hunter that 
attracted the notice of the young female, who had been a close 
and interested observer of his appearance and equipments, from 
the moment he came into view. He was tall, and so meagre 
as to make him seem above even the six feet that he actually 
stood in his stockings. On his head, which was thinly covered 
with lank, sandy hair, he wore a cap made of fox-skin, resembling 
in shape the one we have already described, although much 
inferior in finish and ornaments. His face was skinny, and 


22 


THE PIONEERS. 


thin almost to emaciation ; but yet it bore no signs of disease ; 
— on the contrary, it had every indication of the most robust 
and enduring health. The cold and the exposure had, together, 
given it a color of uniform red. His grey eyes were glancing 
under a pair of shaggy brows, that overhung them in long 
hairs of grey mingled with their natural hue ; his scraggy neck 
was bare, and burnt to the same tint with his face ; though a 
small part of a shirt collar, made of the country check, was to 
be seen above the over-dress he wore. A kind of coat, made 
of dressed deerskin, with the hair on, was belted close to his 
lank body, by a girdle of colored worsted. On his feet were 
deerskin moccasins, ornamented with porcupines’ quills, after the 
manner of the Indians, and his limbs were guarded with long- 
leggings of the same material as the moccasins, which, gartering 
over the knees of his tarnished buckskin breeches, had obtained 
for him, among the settlers, the nickname of Leather-stocking. 
Over his left shoulder was slung a belt of deerskin, from which 
depended an enormous ox horn, so thinly scraped, as to dis- 
cover the powder it contained. The larger end was fitted inge- 
niously and securely with a wooden bottom, and the other was 
stopped tight by a little plug. A leathern pouch hung before 
him, from which, as he concluded his last speech, he took a 
small measure, and, filling it accurately with powder, he com- 
menced reloading the rifle, which, as its butt rested on the snow 
before him, reached nearly to the top of his foxskin cap. 

The traveller had been closely examining the wounds during 
these movements, and now, without heeding the ill-humor of 
the hunter’s manner, he exclaimed — 

“ I would fain establish a right, Natty, to the honor of this 
death ; and surely if the hit in the neck be mine, it is enough ; 
for the shot in the heart was unnecessary — what we call an act 
of supererogation, Leather-stocking.” 

“You may call it by what larned name you please, Judge,” 
said the hunter, throwing his rifle across his left arm, and 
knocking up a brass lid in the breech, from which he took a 
small piece of greased leather, and wrapping a ball in it, forced 


THE PIONEERS. 


23 


them down by main strength on the powder, where he con- 
tinued to pound them while speaking. “ It’s far easier to call 
names than to shoot a buck on the spring ; but the cretur came 
by his end from a younger hand than either your’n or mine, as 
I said before.” 

“ What say you, my friend,” cried the traveller, turning 
pleasantly to Natty’s companion ; “ shall we toss up this dollar 
for the honor, and you keep the silver if you lose ; what say 
you, friend?” 

“ That I killed the deer,” answered the young man with a 
little haughtiness, as he leaned on another long rifle, similar to 
that of Natty. 

“ Here are two to one, indeed,” replied the Judge, with a 
smile ; “ I am outvoted — over-ruled, as we say on the bench. 
There is Aggy, he can’t vote, being a slave ; and Bess is a 
minor — so I must even make the best of it. But you’ll sell me 
the venison ; and the deuce is in it, but I make a good story 
about its death.” 

“ The meat is none of mine to sell,” said Leather-stocking, 
adopting a little of his companion’s hauteur ; “ for my part I 
have known animals travel days with shots in the neck, and I’m 
none of them who’ll rob a man of his rightful dues ?” 

“ You are tenacious of your rights, this cold evening, Natty,” 
returned the J udge, with unconquerable good nature ; “ but 
what say you, young man ; will three dollars pay you for the 
buck ?” 

“ First let us determine the question of right to the satisfac- 
tion of us both,” said the youth, firmly but respectfully, and with 
a pronunciation and language vastly superior to his appearance ; 
“ with how many shot did you load your gun ?” 

“ With five, sir,” said the Judge, a little struck with the 
other’s manner ; “ are they not enough to slay a buck like 
this ?” 

“ One would do it ; but,” moving to the tree from behind 
which he had appeared, “ you know, sir, you fired in this direc- 
tion — -here are four of the bullets in the tree.” 


24 


THE PIONEERS. 


The Judge examined the fresh marks in the bark of the pine, 
and shaking his head, said, with a laugh — 

“ You are making out the case against yourself, my young 
advocate — where is the fifth ?” 

“ Here,” said the youth, throwing aside the rough overcoat 
that he wore, and exhibiting a hole in his under garment, 
through which large drops of blood were oozing. 

‘‘Good God!” exclaimed the Judge with horror; “have I 
been trifling here about an empty distinction, and a fellow-crea- 
ture suffering from my hands without a murmur ? But hasten 
— quick — get into my sleigh — it is but a mile to the village, 
where surgical aid can be obtained ; — all shall be done at my 
expense, and thou slialt live with me until thy wound is healed, 
aye, and for ever afterwards.” 

“ I thank you for your good intention, but I must decline 
your offer. I have a friend who would be uneasy were he to 
hear that I am hurt and away from him. The injury is but 
slight, and the bullet has missed the bones ; but I believe, sir, 
you will now admit my title to the venison.” 

“ Admit it !” repeated the agitated Judge : “ I here give thee 
a right to shoot deer, or bears, or anything thou pleasest in my 
woods, for ever. Leather-stocking is the only other man that I 
have granted the same privilege to; and the time is coming 
when it will be of value. But I buy your deer — here, this bill 
will pay thee, both for thy shot and my own.” 

The old hunter gathered his tall person up into an air of 
pride, during this dialogue, but he waited until the other had 
done speaking. 

“ There’s them living who say, that Nathaniel Bumppo’s right 
to shoot on these hills is of older date than Marmaduke Temple’s 
right to forbid him,” he said. “ But if there’s a law about it at 
all, though who ever heard of a law that a man shouldn’t kill 
deer where he pleased ! — but if there is a law at all, it should 
be to keep people from the use of smooth bores. A body never 
knows where his lead will fly, when he pulls the trigger of one 
of them uncertain fire-arms.” 


TIIE PIONEERS. 


25 


Without attending to the soliloquy of Natty, the youth 
bowed his head silently to the offer of the bank note, and 
replied — 

“ Excuse me ; I have need of the venison.” 

“ But this will buy you many deer,” said the Judge; “ take 
it, I entreat you,” and lowering his voice to a whisper, he added 
— “ it is for a hundred dollars.” 

For an instant only, the youth seemed to hesitate, and then, 
blushing even through the high color that the cold had given 
to his cheeks, as if with inward shame at his own weakness, he 
again declined the offer. 

During this scene the female arose, and, regardless of the 
cold air, she threw back the hood which concealed her features, 
and now spoke, with great earnestness. 

“ Surely, surely — young man, — sir — you would not pain my 
father so much, as to have him think that he leaves a fellow- 
creature in this wilderness, whom his own hand has injured. I 
entreat you will go with us, and receive medical aid.” 

Whether liis wound became more painful, or there was some- 
thing irresistible in the voice and manner of the fair pleader for 
her father’s feelings, we know not ; but the distance of the young 
man’s manner w r as sensibly softened by this appeal, and he 
stood in apparent doubt, as if reluctant to comply with, and yet 
unwilling to refuse her request. The Judge, for such being his 
office, must in future be his title, watched, with no little interest, 
the display of this singular contention in the feelings of the 
youth ; and advancing, kindly took his hand, and as he pulled 
him gently towards the sleigh, urged him to enter it. 

“ There is no human aid nearer than Templeton,” he said , 
“ and the hut of Natty is full three miles from this ; — come — 
come, my young friend, go with us, and let the new doctor look 
to this shoulder of thine. Here is Natty will take the tidings 
of thy welfare to thy friend ; and should’st thou require it, thou 
shalt return home in the morning.” 

The young man succeeded in extricating his hand from the 
warm grasp of the Judge, but he continued to gaze on the 

2 


20 


THE PIONEERS. 


face of the female, who, regardless of the cold, was still standing 
with her fine features exposed, which expressed feelings that 
eloquently seconded the request of her father. Leather-stocking 
stood, in the meantime, leaning upon his long rifle, with his 
head turned a little to one side, as if engaged in sagacious 
musing ; when, having apparently satisfied his doubts, by revolv- 
ing the subject in his mind, he broke silence. 

“ It may be best to go, lad, after all ; for if the shot hangs 
under the skin, my hand is getting too old to be cutting into 
human flesh, as I once used to. Though some thirty years 
agone, in the old war, when I was out under Sir William, I 
travelled seventy miles alone in the howling wilderness, with a 
rifle bullet in my thigh, and then cut it out with my own jack- 
knife. Old Indian John knows the time well. I met him with 
a party of the Delawares, on the trail of the Iroquois, who had 
been down and taken five scalps on the Schoharie. But I made 
a mark on the red-skin that I’ll warrant he carried to his grave ! 
I took him on his posteerum, saving the lady’s presence, as he 
got up from the ambusliment, and rattled three buck shot into 
his naked hide, so close, that you might have laid a broad joe 
upon them all — ” here Natty stretched out his long neck, and 
straightened his body, as he opened his mouth, which exposed 
a single tusk of yellow bone, while his eyes, his face, even his 
whole frame seemed to laugh, although no sound was emitted, 
except a kind of thick hissing, as he inhaled his breath in 
quavers. “ I had lost my bullet mould in crossing the Oneida 
outlet, and had to make shift with the buck-shot ; but the rifle 
was true, and didn’t scatter like your two-legged thing there, 
Judge, which don’t do, I find, to hunt in company with.” 

Natty’s apology to the delicacy of the young lady was unne- 
cessary, for, while he was speaking, she was too much employed 
in helping her father to remove certain articles of baggage to 
hear him. Unable to resist the kind urgency of the travellers 
any longer, the youth, though still with an unaccountable 
reluctance, suffered himself to be persuaded to enter the sleigh. 
The black, with the aid of his master, threw the buck across the 


THE PIONEERS. 


27 


baggage, and entering the vehicle themselves, the Judge invited 
the hunter to do so likewise. 

“ No, no,” said the old man, shaking his head ; “ I have work 
to do at home this Christmas eve — drive on with the boy, and 
let your doctor look to the shoulder ; though if he will only cut 
out the shot, I have yarbs that will heal the wound quicker 
than all his foreign ’intments.” He turned, and was about to 
move off, when, suddenly recollecting himself, he again faced 
the party, and added — •“ If you see anything of Indian John, 
about the foot of the lake, you had better take him with you, 
and let him lend the doctor a hand; for old as he is, he is 
curious at cuts and bruises, and it’s likelier than not he’ll be in 
with brooms to sweep your Christmas ha’arths.” 

“ Stop, stop,” cried the youth, catching the arm of the black 
as he prepared to urge his horses forward; “Natty — you need 
say nothing of the shot, nor of where I am going — remember, 
Natty, as you love me.” 

“Trust old Leather-stocking,” returned the hunter, signifi- 
cantly ; “ he hasn’t lived fifty years in the wilderness, and not 
larnt from the savages how to hold his tongue — trust to me, lad ; 
and remember old Indian John.” 

“ And, Natty,” said the youth eagerly, still holding the black 
by the arm, “ I will just get the shot extracted, and bring you 
up to-night, a quarter of the buck, for the Christmas dinner.” 

He was interrupted by the hunter, who held up his finger 
with an expressive gesture for silence. He then moved softly 
along the margin of the road, keeping his eyes steadfastly fixed 
on the branches of a pine. When he had obtained such a 
position as he wished, he stopped, and cocking his rifle, threw 
one leg far behind him, and stretching his left arm to its utmost 
extent along the barrel of his piece, he began slowly to raise its 
muzzle in a line with the straight trunk of the tree. The eyes 
of the group in the sleigh naturally preceded the movement of 
the rifle, and they soon discovered the object of Natty’s aim. 
On a small dead branch of the pine, which, at the distance of 
seventy feet from the ground, shot out horizontally, immediately 


28 


THE PIONEERS. 


beneath the living members of the tree, sat a bird, that in the 
vulgar language of the country was indiscriminately called a 
pheasant or a partridge. In size, it was but little smaller than 
a common barn-yard fowl. The baying of the dogs, and the 
conversation that had passed near the root of the tree on which 
it was perched, had alarmed the bird, which was now drawn up 
near the body of the pine, with a head and neck so erect, as to 
form nearly a straight line with its legs. As soon as the rifle 
bore on the victim, Natty drew his trigger, and the partridge 
fell from its height with a force that buried it in the snow. 

“ Lie down, you old villain,” exclaimed Leather-stocking, 
shaking his ramrod at Hector as he bounded towards the foot of 
the tree, “ lie down, I say.” The dog obeyed, and Natty pro- 
ceeded with great rapidity, though with the nicest accuracy, to 
reload his piece. When this was ended, he took up his game, 
and showing it to the party without a head, he cried — “ Here is 
a titbit for an old man’s Christmas — never mind the venison, 
boy, and remember Indian John ; his yarbs are better than all 
the foreign ’intments. Here, Judge,” holding up the bird again, 
“ do you think a smooth-bore would pick game of! their roost, 
and not ruffle a feather?” The old man gave another of his 
remarkable laughs, which partook so largely of exultation, mirth, 
and irony, and shaking his head, he turned, with his rifle at a 
trail, and moved into the forest with steps that were between a 
walk and a trot. At each movement he made, his body low- 
ered several inches, his knees yielding with an inclination 
inwards ; but as the sleigh turned at a bend in the road, the 
youth cast his eyes in quest of his old companion, and he saw 
that he was already nearly concealed by the trunks of the trees, 
while his dogs were following quietly in his footsteps, occasion- 
ally scenting the deer track, that they seemed to know instinc- 
tively was now of no further use to them. ' Another jerk was 
given to the sleigh, and Leather -stocking was hid from view. 


THE PIONEERS. 


29 


CHAPTER II. 

All places that the eye of Heaven visits 
Are to a wise man ports and happy havens:— 

Think not the king did banish thee : 

But thou the king. 

Richard II. 

An ancestor of Marmaduke Temple had, about one hundred 
and twenty years before the commencement of our tale, come to 
the colony of Pennsylvania, a friend and co-religionist of its 
great patron. Old Marmaduke, for this formidable prenomen 
was a kind of appellative to the race, brought with him, to that 
asylum of the persecuted, an abundance of the good things of 
this life. He became the master of many thousands of acres of 
uninhabited territory, and the supporter of many a score of 
dependents. He lived greatly respected for his piety, and not a 
little distinguished as a sectary : was intrusted by his associates 
with many important political stations ; And died just in time to 
escape the knowledge of his own poverty. It was his lot to 
share the fortune of most of those who brought wealth with them 
into the new settlements of the middle colonies. 

The consequence of an emigrant into these provinces was 
generally to be ascertained by the number of his white servants 
or dependents, and the nature of the public situations that he held. 
Taking this rule as a guide, the ancestor of our Judge must have 
been a man of no little note. 

It is, however, a subject of curious inquiry at the present day, 
to look into the brief records of that early period, and observe 
how regular, and with few exceptions how inevitable, were the 
gradations, on the one hand, of the masters to poverty, and on 
the other, of their servants to wealth. Accustomed to ease, and 
unequal to the struggles incident to an infant society, the afflu- 
ent emigrant was barely enabled to maintain his own rank, by 


30 


THE PIONEERS. 


the weight of his personal superiority and acquirements ; but 
the moment that his head was laid in the grave, his indolent 
and comparatively uneducated offspring were compelled to 
yield precedency to the more active energies of a class, whose 
exertions had been stimulated by necessity. This is a very 
common course of things, even in the present state of the Union ; 
but it was peculiarly the fortunes of the two extremes of society, 
in the peaceful and unenterprising colonies of Pennsylvania and 
New Jersey. 

The posterity of Marmaduke did not escape the common lot 
of those who depend rather on their hereditary possessions than 
on their own powers ; and in the third generation they had 
descended to a point, below which, in this happy country, it is 
barely possible for honesty, intellect, and sobriety to fall. The 
same pride of family that had, by its self-satisfied indolence, 
conduced to aid their fall, now became a principle to stimulate 
them to endeavor to rise again. The feeling, from being morbid, 
was changed to a healthful and active desire to emulate the 
character, the condition, and, peradventure, the wealth of their 
ancestors also. It was the father of our new acquaintance, the 
Judge, who first began to re-ascend in the scale of society ; and 
in this undertaking he was not a little assisted by a marriage, 
which aided in furnishing the means of educating his onlv son 
in a rather better manner than the low state of the common 
schools in Pennsylvania could promise ; or than had been the 
practice in the family, for the two or three preceding genera- 
tions. 

At the school where the reviving prosperity of his father was 
enabled to maintain him, young Marmaduke formed an inti- 
macy with a youth whose years were about equal to his own. 
This was a fortunate connexion for our Judge, and paved the 
way to most of his future elevation in life. 

There was not only great wealth, but high court interest, 
among the connexions of Edward Effingham. They were one 
of the few families then resident in the colonies, who thought it 
a degradation to its members to descend to the pursuits of com- 


THE PIONEERS. 


31 


merce ; and who never emerged from the privacy of domestic 
life, unless to preside in the councils of the colony, or to bear 
arms in her defence. The latter had, from youth, been the only 
employment of Edward’s father. Military rank under the crown 
of Great Britain, was attained with much longer probation, and 
by much more toilsome services, sixty years ago, than at the 
present time. Years were passed without murmuring, in the 
subordinate grades of the service ; and those soldiers who were 
stationed in the colonies felt, when they obtained the command 
of a company, that they were entitled to receive the greatest 
deference from the peaceful occupants of the soil. Any one of 
our readers who has occasion to cross the Niagara, may easily 
observe not only the self-importance, but the real estimation 
enjoyed by the humblest representative of the crown, even in 
that polar region of royal sunshine. Such, and at no very dis- 
tant period, was the respect paid to the military in these states, 
where now, happily, no symbol of war is ever seen, unless at the 
free and fearless voice of their people. When, therefore, the 
father of Marmaduke’s friend, after forty years’ service, retired 
with the rank of Major, maintaining in his domestic establish- 
ment a comparative splendor, he became a man of the first con- 
sideration in his native colony — which was that of New York. 
He had served with fidelity and courage, and having been, 
according to the custom of the provinces, intrusted with com- 
mands much superior to those to which he was entitled by rank, 
with reputation also. When Major Effingham yielded to the 
claims of age, he retired with dignity, refusing his half-pay or 
any other compensation for services, that he felt he could no 
longer perform. 

The ministry proffered various civil offices, which yielded not 
only honor but profit; but he declined them all, with the 
chivalrous independence and loyalty that had marked his cha- 
racter through life. The veteran soon caused this act of patriotic 
disinterestedness to be followed by another of private munificence, 
that, however little it accorded with prudence, was in perfect 
conformity with the simple integrity of his own views. 


32 


THE PIONEERS. 


The friend of Marmaduke was his only child ; and to this 
son, on his marriage with a lady to whom the father was par- 
ticularly partial, the Major gave a complete conveyance of his 
whole estate, consisting of moneys in the funds, a town and 
country residence, sundry valuable farms in the old parts of the 
colony, and large tracts of wild land in the new ; — in this man- 
ner throwing himself upon the filial piety of his child for his own 
future maintenance. Major Effingham, in declining the liberal 
offers of the British ministry, had subjected himself to the sus- 
picion of having attained his dotage, by all those who throng 
the avenues to court patronage, even in the remotest corners of 
that vast empire ; but, when he thus voluntarily stripped himself 
of his great personal wealth, the remainder of the community 
seemed instinctively to adopt the conclusion also, that he had 
reached a second childhood. This may explain the fact of his 
importance rapidly declining ; and, if privacy was his object, the 
veteran had soon a free indulgence of his wishes. Whatever 
views the world might entertain of this act of the Major, to him- 
self and to his child it seemed no more than a natural gift by 
a father, of those immunities which he could no longer enjoy or 
improve, to a son, who was formed, both by nature and educa- 
tion, to do both. The younger Effingham did not object to the 
amount of the donation ; for he felt that while his parent 
reserved a moral control over his actions, he was relieving him- 
self from a fatiguing burden : such, indeed, was the confidence 
existing between them, that to neither did it seem anything 
more than removing money from one pocket to another. 

One of the first acts of the young man, on coming into 
possession of his wealth, was to seek his early friend, with a view 
to offer any assistance that it was now in his power to bestow 

The death of Marmaduke’s father, and the consequent divi- 
sion of his small estate, rendered such an offer extremely accept- 
able to the young Pennsylvanian : he felt his own powers, and 
saw, not only the excellences, but the foibles, in the character of 
his friend. Effingham was by nature indolent, confiding, and at 
times impetuous and indiscreet ; but Marmaduke was uniformly 


THE PIONEERS. 


33 


equable, penetrating, and full of activity and enterprise. To tlie 
latter, therefore, the assistance, or rather connexion, that was 
proffered to him, seemed to produce a mutual advantage. It 
was cheerfully accepted, and the arrangement of its conditions 
was easily completed. A mercantile house was established in 
the metropolis of Pennsylvania, with the avails of Mr. Effingham’s 
personal property ; all, or nearly all, of which was put into the 
possession of Temple, who was the only ostensible proprietor in 
the concern, while, in secret, the other was entitled to an equal 
participation in the profits. This connexion was thus kept pri- 
vate for two reasons ; one of which, in the freedom of their 
intercourse, was frankly avowed to Marmaduke, while the other 
continued profoundly hid in the bosom of his friend. The last 
was nothing more than pride. To the descendant of a line of 
soldiers, commerce, even in that indirect manner, seemed a 
degrading pursuit ; but an insuperable obstacle to the disclo- 
sure existed in the prejudices of his father. 

We have already said that Major Effingham had served 
as a soldier with reputation. On one occasion, while in com- 
mand on the western frontier of Pennsylvania, against a league 
of the French and Indians, not only his glory, but the safety of 
himself and his troops were jeoparded, by the peaceful policy 
of that colony. To the soldier, this was an unpardonable offence. 
He was fighting in their defence — he knew that the mild prin- 
ciples of this little nation of practical Christians would be disre- 
garded by their subtle and malignant enemies ; and he felt the 
injury the more deeply, because he saw that the avowed object 
of the colonists, in withholding their succors, would only have 
a tendency to expose his command, without preserving the 
peace. The soldier succeeded, after a desperate conflict, in 
extricating himself, with a handful of his men, from their mur- 
derous enemy ; but he never forgave the people who had 
exposed him to a danger which they left him to combat alone. 
It was in vain to tell him that they had no agency in his being 
placed on their frontier at all ; it was evidently for their benefit 
that he had been so placed, and it was their “ religious duty,” so 

2 * 


34 


THE PIONEERS. 


the Major always expressed it, “ it was their religious duty to 
have supported him.” 

At no time was the old soldier an admirer of the peaceful 
disciples of Fox. Their disciplined habits, both of mind and 
body, had endowed them with great physical perfection ; and 
the eye of the veteran was apt to scan the fair proportions and 
athletic frames of the colonists, with a look that seemed to utter 
volumes of contempt for their moral imbecility. He was also a 
little addicted to the expression of a belief, that, where there 
was so great an observance of the externals of religion, there 
could not be much of the substance. It is not our task to 
explain what is, or what ought to be, the substance of Christian- 
ity, but merely to record in this place the opinions of Major 
Effingham. 

Knowing the sentiments of the father in relation to this peo- 
ple, it was no wonder that the son hesitated to avow his 
connexion with, nay, even his dependence on the integrity of, a 
quaker. 

It has been said that Marmaduke deduced his origin from 
the contemporaries and friends of Penn. His father had mar- 
ried without the pale of the church to which he belonged, and 
had, in this manner, forfeited some of the privileges of his off- 
spring. Still, as young Marmaduke was educated in a colony 
and society, where even the ordinary intercourse between friends 
was tinctured with the aspect of this mild religion, his habits 
and language were somewhat marked by its peculiarities. 
His own marriage at a future day with a lady without, not only 
the pale, but the influence of this sect of religionists, had a ten- 
dency, it is true, to weaken his early impressions; still he 
retained them in some degree to the hour of his death, and 
was observed uniformly, when much interested or agitated, to 
speak in the language of his youth. But this is anticipating our 
tale. 

When Marmaduke first became the partner of young Effing- 
ham, he was quite the quaker in externals ; and it was too dan- 
gerous an experiment for the son to think of encountering the 


THE PIONEERS. 


35 


prejudices of the father on this subject. The connexion, therefore, 
remained a profound secret to all but those who were interested 
in it. 

For a few years, Marmaduke directed the commercial opera- 
tions of his house with a prudence and sagacity that afforded 
rich returns. He married the lady we have mentioned, who 
was the mother of Elizabeth, and the visits of his friend were 
becoming more frequent. There was a speedy prospect of 
removing the veil from their intercourse, as its advantages 
became each hour more apparent to Mr. Effingham, when the 
troubles that preceded the war of the revolution extended them- 
selves to an alarming degree. 

Educated in the most dependent loyalty, Mr. Effingham had, 
from the commencement of the disputes between the colonists 
and the crown, warmly maintained what he believed to be the 
just prerogatives of his prince ; while, on the other hand, the 
clear head and independent mind of Temple had induced him 
to espouse the cause of the people. Both might have been 
influenced by early impressions ; for, if the son of the loyal and 
gallant soldier bowed in implicit obedience to the will of his 
sovereign, the descendant of the persecuted follower of Penn 
looked back, with a little bitterness, to the unmerited wrongs 
that had been heaped upon his ancestors. 

This difference in opinion had long been a subject of 
amicable dispute between them ; but, latterly, the contest was 
getting to be too important to admit of trivial discussions on the 
part of Marmaduke, whose acute discernment was already catch- 
ing faint glimmerings of the important events that were in em- 
bryo. The sparks of dissension soon kindled into a blaze ; and 
the colonies, or rather, as they quickly declared themselves, the 
states, became a scene of strife and bloodshed for years. 

A short time before the battle of Lexington, Mr. Effingham, 
already a widower, transmitted to Marmaduke, for safe-keeping, 
all his valuable effects and papers ; and left the colony without 
his father. The war had, however, scarcely commenced in 
earnest, when he re-appeared in New York, wearing the livery 


36 


THE PIONEERS. 


of his king ; and, in a short time, he took the field at the head 
of a provincial corps. In the meantime, Marmaduke had com- 
pletely committed himself in the cause, as it was then called, of 
the rebellion. Of course, all intercourse between the friends 
ceased — on the part of Colonel Effingham it was unsought, and 
on that of Marmaduke there was a cautious reserve. It soon 
became necessary for the latter to abandon the capital of Phila- 
delphia ; but he had taken the precaution to remove the whole 
of his effects beyond the reach of the royal forces, including the 
papers of his friend also. There he continued serving his 
country during the struggle, in various civil capacities, and 
always with dignity and usefulness. While, however, he dis- 
charged his functions with credit and fidelity, Marmaduke never 
seemed to lose sight of his own interests ; for, when the estates 
of the adherents of the crown fell under the hammer, by the 
acts of confiscation, he appeared in New York, and became the 
purchaser of extensive possessions at comparatively low prices. 

It is true that Marmaduke, by thus purchasing estates that 
had been wrested by violence from others, rendered himself 
obnoxious to the censures of that sect which, at the same time 
that it discards its children from a full participation in the family 
union, seems ever unwilling to abandon them entirely to the 
world. But either his success, or the frequency of the trans- 
gression in others, soon wiped off this slight stain from his 
character ; and, although there were a few who, dissatisfied with 
their own fortunes, or conscious of their own demerits, would 
make dark hints concerning the sudden prosperity of the unpor- 
tioned quaker, yet his services, and possibly his wealth, soon 
drove the recollection of these vague conjectures from men’s 
minds. 

When the war ended, and the independence of the States was 
acknowledged, Mr. Temple turned his attention from the pur- 
suit of commerce, which was then fluctuating and uncertain, to 
the settlement of those tracts of land which he had purchased. 
Aided by a good deal of money, and directed by the sugges- 
tions of a strong and practical reason, his enterprise throve to a 


THE PIONEERS. 


37 

degree, that the climate and rugged face of the country which 
he selected would seem to forbid. His property increased in a 
tenfold ratio, and he was already ranked among the most 
wealthy and important of his countrymen. To inherit this 
wealth he had but one child — the daughter whom we have 
introduced to the reader, and whom he w T as now conveying from 
school to preside over a household that had too long wanted a 
mistress. 

When the district in which his estates lay had become suf- 
ficiently populous to be set off as a county, Mr. Temple had, 
according to the custom of the new settlements, been selected 
to fill its highest judicial station. This might make a Templar 
smile ; but, in addition to the apology of necessity, there is ever 
a dignity in talents and experience that is commonly sufficient, 
in any station, for the protection of its possessor ; and Marma- 
duke, more fortunate in his native clearness of mind than the 
judge of King Charles, not only decided right, but was gene- 
rally able to give a very good reason for it. At all events, such 
was the universal practice of the country and the times ; and 
Judge Temple, so far from ranking among the lowest of his 
judicial contemporaries in the courts of the new counties, felt 
himself, and was unanimously acknowledged to be, among the 
first. 

We shall here close this brief explanation of the history and 
character of some of our personages, leaving them in future to 
speak and act for themselves. 


38 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER III. 

All that thou see’st, is nature’s handiwork ; 

Those rocks that upward throw their mossy brows 
Like castled pinnacles of elder times ! 

These venerable stems, that slowly rock 
Their towering branches in the wintry gale ! 

That field of frost, which glitters in the sun, 

Mocking the whiteness of a marble breast ! — 

Yet man can mar such works with his rude taste, 

Like some sad spoiler of a virgin’s fame. 

Deo. 

Some little while elapsed ere Marraaduke Temple was suffi- 
ciently recovered from his agitation to scan the person of his 
new companion. He now observed that he was a youth of 
some two or three and twenty years of age, and rather above 
the middle height. Further observation was prevented by the 
rough overcoat which was belted close to his form by a worsted 
sash, much like the one worn by the old hunter. The eyes of 
the Judge, after resting a moment on the figure of the stranger, 
were raised to a scrutiny of his countenance. There had been 
a look of care, visible in the features of the youth, when he first 
entered the sleigh, that had not only attracted the notice of 
Elizabeth, but which she had been much puzzled to interpret. 
His anxiety seemed the strongest when he was enjoining his 
old companion to secresy ; and even when he had decided, and 
was rather passively suffering himself to be conveyed to the 
village, the expression of his eyes by no means indicated any 
great degree of self-satisfaction at the step. But the lines of an 
uncommonly prepossessing countenance were gradually becom- 
ing composed ; and he now sat silent, and apparently musing. 
The Judge gazed at him for some time with earnestness, and 
then smiling, as if at his own forgetfulness, he said — 

“ I believe, my young friend, that terror has driven you from 


THE PIONEERS. 


39 


my recollection ; your face is very familiar, and yet for the 
honor of a score of bucks’ tails in my cap, I could not tell your 
name.” 

“ I came into the country but three weeks since,” returned 
the youth coldly, “ and I understand you have been absent twice 
that time.” 

“It will be five to-morrow. Yet your face is one that I have 
seen ; though it would not be strange, such has been my 
affright, should I see thee in thy winding-sheet walking by my 
bedside to night. What say’st thou, Bess ? Am I compos 
mentis or not ? — Fit to charge a grand jury, or, what is just now 
of more pressing necessity, able to do the honors of a Christmas- 
eve in the hall of Templeton ?” 

“ More able to do either, my dear Father,” said a playful 
voice from under the ample inclosures of the hood, “ than to 
kill deer with a smooth-bore.” A short pause followed, and the 
same voice, but in a different accent, continued — “ W e shall 
have good reasons for our thanksgiving to night, on more 
accounts than one.” 

The horses soon reached a point where they seemed to know 
by instinct that the journey was nearly ended, and bearing on 
the bits as they tossed their heads, they rapidly drew the sleigh 
over the level land which lay on the top of the mountain, and 
soon came to the point where the road descended suddenly, but 
circuitously, into the valley. 

The Judge was roused from his reflections, when he saw the 
four columns of smoke which floated above his own chimneys. 
As house, village, and valley burst on his sight, he exclaimed 
cheerfully to his daughter — 

“ See, Bess, there is thy resting-place for life ! — And thine, 
too, young man, if thou wilt consent to dwell with us.” 

The eyes of his auditors involuntarily met ; and if the color 
that gathered over the face of Elizabeth was contradicted by the 
cold expression of her eye, the ambiguous smile that again played 
about the lips of the stranger, seemed equally to deny the pro- 
bability of his consenting to form one of this family group. The 


40 


THE PIONEERS. 


scene was one, however, which might easily warm a heart less 
given to philanthropy than that of Marmaduke Temple. 

The side of the mountain on which our travellers were 
journeying, though not absolutely perpendicular, was so steep as 
to render great care necessary in descending the rude and 
narrow path, which, in that early day, wound along the 
precipices. The negro reined in his impatient steeds, and time 
was given Elizabeth to dwell on a scene which was so rapidly 
altering under the hands of man, that it only resembled, in its 
outlines, the picture she had so often studied with delight, in 
childhood. Immediately beneath them lay a seeming plain, 
glittering without inequality, and buried in mountains. The 
latter were precipitous, especially on the side of the plain, and 
chiefly in forest. Here and there the hills fell away in long, 
low points, and broke the sameness of the outline ; or setting to 
the long and wide field of snow, which, without house, tree, 
fence, or any other fixture, resembled so much spotless cloud 
settled to the earth. A few dark and moving spots were, how- 
ever, visible on the even surface, which the eye of Elizabeth knew 
to be so many sleighs going their several ways, to or from the 
village. On the western border of the plain, the mountains, 
though equally high, were less precipitous, and as they receded, 
opened into irregular valleys and glens, or were formed into 
terraces and hollows that admitted of cultivation. Although the 
evergreens still held dominion over many of the hills that rose 
on this side of the valley, yet the undulating outlines of the 
distant mountains, covered with forests of beech and maple, 
gave a relief to the eye, and the promise of a kinder soil. 
Occasionably spots of white were discoverable amidst the forests 
of the opposite hills, which announced by the smoke that curled 
over the tops of the trees, the habitations of man, and the com- 
mencement of agriculture. These spots were sometimes, by 
the aid of united labor, enlarged into what were called settle- 
ments, but more frequently were small and insulated ; though 
so rapid were the changes, and so persevering the labors of those 
who had cast their fortunes on the success of the enterprise, that 


THE PIONEERS. 


41 


it was not difficult for the imagination of Elizabeth to conceive 
they were enlarging under her eye, while she was gazing, in 
mute wonder, at the alterations that a few short years had made 
in the aspect of the country. The points on the western side 
of this remarkable plain, on which no plant had taken root, were 
both larger and more numerous than those on its eastern, and 
one in particular thrust itself forward in such a manner as to 
form beautifully curved bays of snow on either side. On its 
extreme end an oak stretched forward, as if to overshadow, with 
its branches, a spot which its roots were forbidden to enter. It 
had released itself from the thraldom that a growth of centuries 
had imposed on the branches of the surrounding forest trees, 
and threw its gnarled and fantastic arms abroad, in the wildness 
of liberty. A dark spot of a few acres in extent at the southern 
extremity of this beautiful flat, and immediately under the feet 
of our travellers, alone showed by its rippling surface, and the 
vapors which exhaled from it, that what at first might seem a 
plain, was one of the mountain lakes, locked in the frosts of 
winter. A narrow current rushed impetuously from its bosom 
at the open place we have mentioned, and was to be traced, for 
miles, as it wound its way towards the south through the real 
valley, by its borders of hemlock and pine, and by the vapor 
which arose from its warmer surface into the chill atmosphere 
of the hills. The banks of this lovely basin, at its outlet, or 
southern end, were steep but not high* ; and in that direction 
the land continued, far as the eye could reach, a narrow but 
graceful valley, along which the settlers had scattered their hum- 
ble habitations, with a profusion that bespoke the quality of the 
soil, and the comparative facilities of intercourse. 

Immediately on the bank of the lake and at its foot, stood tho 
village of Templeton. It consisted of some fifty buildings, 
including those of every description, chiefly built of wood, and 
which, in their architecture, bore no great marks of taste, but 
which also, by the unfinished appearance of most of the dwell- 
ings, indicated the hasty manner of their construction. To the 
eye, they presented a variety of colors. A few were white in 


42 


THE PIONEERS. 


both front and rear, but more bore that expensive color on their 
fronts only, while their economical but ambitious owners had 
covered the remaining sides of the edifices with a dingy red. 
One or two were slowly assuming the russet of age ; while the 
uncovered beams that were to be seen through the broken win- 
dows of their second stories, showed that either the taste or 
the vanity of their proprietors had led them to undertake a 
task which they were unable to accomplish. The whole were 
grouped in a manner that aped the streets of a city, and were 
evidently so arranged by the directions of one who looked to 
the wants of posterity rather than to the convenience of the 
present incumbents. Some three or four of the better sort of 
buildings, in addition to the uniformity of their color, were 
fitted with green blinds, which, at that season at least, w'ere 
rather strangely contrasted to the chill aspect of the lake, the 
mountains, the forests, and the wide fields of snow. Before the 
doors of these pretending dwellings were placed a few saplings, 
either without branches, or possessing only the feeble shoots of 
one or two summers’ growth, that looked not unlike tall grena- 
diers on post near the threshold of princes. In truth, the occu- 
pants of these favored habitations were the nobles of Templeton, 
as Marmaduke was its king. They were the dwellings of two 
young men who were cunning in the law ; an equal number of 
that class who chaffered to the wants of the community under 
the title of storekeepers ; and a disciple of -dEsculapius, who, 
for a novelty, brought more subjects into the world than he 
sent out of it. In the midst of this incongruous group of dwell- 
ings, rose the mansion of the Judge, towering above all its 
neighbors. It stood in the centre of an inclosure of several 
acres, which were covered with fruit trees. Some of the latter 
had been left by the Indians, and began already to assume the 
moss and inclination of age, therein forming a very marked 
contrast to the infant plantations that peered over most of the 
picketed fences of the village. In addition to this show of cul- 
tivation, were two rows of young Lombardy poplars, a tree but 
lately introduced into America, formally lining either side of a 


THE PIONEERS. 


43 


pathway, which led from a gate that opened on the principal 
street to the front door of the building. The house itself had 
been built entirely under the superintendence of a certain Mr. 
Richard Jones, whom we have already mentioned, and who, 
from his cleverness in small matters, and an entire willingness 
to exert his talents, added to the circumstance of their being 
sisters’ children, ordinarily superintended all the minor concerns 
of Marmaduke Temple. Richard was fond of saying, that this 
child of his invention consisted of nothing more nor less than 
what should form the ground-work of every clergyman’s dis- 
course ; viz. a firstly, and a lastly. He had commenced his 
labors, in the first year of their residence, by erecting a tall, 
gaunt edifice of wood, with its gable towards the highway. In 
this shelter, for it was little more, the family resided three 
years. By the end of that period, Richard had completed his 
design. He had availed himself, in this heavy undertaking, of 
the experience of a certain wandering eastern mechanic, who, 
by exhibiting a few soiled plates of English architecture, and 
talking learnedly of friezes, entablatures, and particularly of the 
composite order, had obtained a very undue influence over 
Richard’s taste, in everything that pertained to that branch of 
the fine arts. Not that Mr. Jones did not affect to consider 
Hiram Doolittle a perfect empiric in his profession, being in 
the constant habit of listening to his treatises on architecture 
with a kind of indulgent smile ; yet, either from an inability to 
oppose them by anything plausible from his own stores of 
learning, or from secret admiration, Richard generally submitted 
to the arguments of his coadjutor. Together, they had not 
only erected a dwelling for Marmaduke, but they had given a 
fashion to the architecture of the whole county. The compo- 
site order, Mr. Doolittle would contend, was an order composed 
of many others, and was intended to be the most useful of all, 
for it admitted into its construction such alterations as conve- 
nience or circumstances might require. To this proposition 
Richard usually assented ; and when rival geniuses, who mono- 
polize not only all the reputation, but most of the money of a 


44 


THE PIONEERS. 


neighborhood, are of a mind, it is not uncommon to see them 
lead the fashion, even in graver matters. In the present 
instance, as we have already hinted, the castle, as Judge 
Templeton’s dwelling was termed in common parlance, came to 
be the model, in some one or other of its numerous excellences, 
for every aspiring edifice wdthin twenty miles of it. 

The house itself, or the “ lastly,” was of stone ; large, square, 
and far from uncomfortable. These were four requisites, on 
which Marmaduke had insisted with a little more than his 
ordinary pertinacity. But everything else was peaceably 
assigned to Richard and his associate. These worthies found the 
material a little too solid for the tools of their workmen, which, 
in general, were employed on a substance no harder than the 
white pine of the adjacent mountains, a wood so proverbially 
soft, that it is commonly chosen by the hunters for pillows. 
But for this awkward dilemma, it is probable that the ambitious 
tastes of our two architects would have left as much more to 
do in the way of description. Driven from the faces of the 
house by the obduracy of the material, they took refuge in the 
porch and on the roof. The former, it was decided, should be 
severely classical, and the latter a rare specimen of the merits of 
the composite order. 

A roof, Richard contended, was a part of the edifice that the 
ancients always endeavored to conceal, it being an excrescence in 
architecture that was only to be tolerated on account of its use- 
fulness. Besides, as he wdttily added, a chief merit in a dwell- 
ing was to present a front, on whichever side it might happen to 
be seen ; for as it was exposed to all eyes in all weathers, there 
should be no weak flank for envy or unneighborly criticism to 
assail. It was therefore decided that the roof should be flat, 
and with four faces. To this arrangement, Marmaduke objected 
the heavy snows that lay for months, frequently covering the 
earth to a depth of three or four feet. Happily, the facilities of 
the composite order presented themselves to effect a compromise, 
and the rafters were lengthened, so as to give a descent that 
should carry off the frozen element. But unluckily, some mis- 


THE PIONEERS. 


45 


take was made in the admeasurement of these material parts of 
the fabric : and as one of the greatest recommendations of Hiram 
was his ability to work by the “ square rule,” no opportunity 
was found of discovering the effect until the massive timbers 
were raised, on the four walls of the building. Then, indeed, it 
was soon seen, that, in defiance of all rule, the roof was by far 
the most conspicuous part of the whole edifice. Richard and 
his associate consoled themselves with the belief, that the cover- 
ing would aid in concealing this unnatural elevation ; but every 
shingle that was laid only multiplied objects to look at. Ri- 
chard essayed to remedy the evil with paint, and four different 
colors were laid on by his own hands. The first was a sky- 
blue, in the vain expectation that the eye might be cheated 
into the belief it was the heavens themselves that hung so 
imposingly over Marmaduke’s dwelling ; the second was what 
he called a “ cloud-color,” being nothing more nor less than an 
imitation of smoke ; the third was what Richard termed an 
invisible green, an experiment that did not succeed against a 
back-ground of sky. Abandoning the attempt to conceal, our 
architects drew upon their invention for means to ornament the 
offensive shingles. After much deliberation and two or three 
essays by moonlight, Richard ended the affair by boldly cover- 
ing the whole beneath a color that he christened “ sunshine,” 
a cheap way, as he assured his cousin, the Judge, of always 
keeping fair weather over his head. The platform, as well as 
the eaves of the house, were surmounted by gaudily painted 
railings, and the genius of Hiram was exerted in the fabrication 
of divers urns and mouldings, that were scattered profusely 
around this part of their labors. Richard had originally a cun- 
ning expedient, by which the chimneys were intended to be 
so low, and so situated, as to resemble ornaments on the balus- 
trades : but comfort required that the chimneys should rise 
with the roof, in order that the smoke might be carried off, 
and they thus became four extremely conspicuous objects in the 
- view. 

As this roof was much the most important architectural 


46 


THE PIONEERS. 


undertaking in which Mr. Jones was ever engaged, his failure 
produced a correspondent degree of mortification. At first, he 
whispered among his acquaintances, that it proceeded from 
ignorance of the square rule on the part of Hiram ; but as his 
eye became gradually accustomed to the object, he grew better 
satisfied with his labors, and instead of apologizing for the 
defects, he commenced praising the beauties of the mansion- 
house. He soon found hearers; and, as wealth and comfort 
are at all times attractive, it was, as has been said, made a 
model for imitation on a small scale. In less than two years 
from its erection, he had the pleasure of standing on the elevated 
platform, and of looking down on three humble imitators of its 
beauty. Thus it is ever with fashion, which even renders the 
faults of the great subjects of admiration. 

Marmaduke bore this deformity in his dwelling with great 
good nature, and soon contrived, by his own improvements, to 
give an air of respectability and comfort to his place of residence. 
Still there was much of incongruity, even immediately about 
the mansion-house. Although poplars had been brought from 
Europe to ornament the grounds, and willows and other trees 
were gradually springing up nigh the dwelling, yet many a pile 
of snow betrayed the presence of the stump of a pine ; and even 
in one or two instances, unsightly remnants of trees that had 
been partly destroyed by fire were seen rearing their black, 
glistening columns twenty or thirty feet above the pure white 
of the snow. These, which in the language of the country are 
termed stubs, abounded in the open fields adjacent to the village, 
and were accompanied, occasionally, by the ruin of a pine or a 
hemlock that had been stripped of its bark, and which waved 
in melancholy grandeur its naked limbs to the blast, a skeleton 
of its former glory. But these and many other unpleasant 
additions to the view were unseen by the delighted Elizabeth, 
who, as the horses moved down the side of the mountain, saw 
only in gross the cluster of houses that lay like a map at her 
feet ; the fifty smokes that were curling from the valley to the 
clouds ; the frozen lake as it lay imbedded in mountains of 


TIIE PIONEERS. 


47 


evergreen, with the long shadows of the pines on its white sur- 
face, lengthening in the setting sun ; the dark riband of water, 
that gushed from the outlet, and was winding its way towards 
the distant Chesapeake — the altered, though still remembered, 
scenes of her childhood. 

Five years had wrought greater changes than a century 
would produce in countries where time and labor have given 
permanency to the works of man. To the young hunter and 
the Judge the scene had less novelty; though none ever emerge 
from the dark forests of that mountain, and witness the glori- 
ous scenery of that beauteous valley, as it bursts unexpectedly 
upon them, without a feeling of delight. The former cast one 
admiring glance from north to south, and sank his face again 
beneath the folds of his coat ; while the latter contemplated, 
with philanthropic pleasure, the prospect of affluence and com- 
fort that was expanding around him; the result of his own 
enterprise, and much of it the fruits of his own industry. 

The cheerful sound of sleigh-bells, however, attracted the 
attention of the whole party, as they came jingling up the sides 
of the mountain, at a rate that announced a powerful team and 
a hard driver. The bushes which lined the highway interrupted 
the view, and the two sleighs were close upon each other before 
either was seen. 


48 


TIIE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER IV. 


IIow now 1 whose mare’s dead 1 what’s the matter ?— Falstaff. 

A large lumber-sleigh, drawn by four horses, was soon seen 
dashing through the leafless bushes which fringed the road. 
The leaders were of grey, and the pole horses of a jet black. 
Bells innumerable were suspended from every part of the har- 
ness where one of the tinkling balls could be placed ; while the 
rapid movement of the equipage, in defiance of the steep ascent, 
announced the desire of the driver to ring them to the utmost. 
The first glance at this singular arrangement acquainted the 
Judge with the character of those in the sleigh. It contained 
four male figures. On one of those stools that are used at 
writing-desks, lashed firmly to the sides of the vehicle, was 
seated a little man, enveloped in a greatcoat fringed with fur, 
in such a manner that no part of him was visible excepting a 
face of an unvarying red color. There was a habitual upward 
look about the head of this gentleman, as if dissatisfied with its 
natural proximity to the earth ; and the expression of his coun- 
tenance was that of busy care. He was the charioteer, and he 
guided the mettled animals along the precipice with a fearless 
eye and a steady hand. Immediately behind him, with his 
face towards the other two, was a tall figure, to whose appear- 
ance not even the duplicate overcoats which he wore, aided by the 
corner of a liorse-blanket, could give the appearance of strength. 
His face was protruding from beneath a woollen night-cap ; and 
when he turned to the vehicle of Marmaduke as the sleighs 
approached each other, it seemed formed by nature to cut the 
atmosphere with the least possible resistance. The eyes alone 
appeared to create any obstacle, for from either side of his forehead 
their light, blue, glassy balls projected. The sallow of his coun- 
tenance was too permanent to be affected even by the intense cold 


THE PIONEERS. 


49 


of the evening. Opposite to this personage sat a solid, short, and 
square figure. No part of his form was to be discovered through 
his over-dress, but a face that was illuminated by a pair of black 
eyes, that gave the lie to every demure feature in his countenance. 
A fair, jolly wig furnished a neat and rounded outline to his visage, 
and he, as well as the other two, wore marten-skin caps. The 
fourth was a meek-looking, long-visaged man, without any other 
protection from the cold than that which was furnished by a black 
surtout, made with some little formality, but which was rather 
thread-bare and rusty. He wore a hat of extremely decent pro- 
portions, though frequent brushing had quite destroyed its nap. 
His face was pale, and withal a little melancholy, or what might 
be termed of a studious complexion. The air had given it, just 
now, a slight and somewhat feverish flush. The character of 
his whole appearance, especially contrasted to the air of humor 
in his next companion, was that of habitual mental care. No 
sooner had the two sleighs approached within speaking distance, 
than the driver of this fantastic equipage shouted aloud — 

“ Draw up in the quarry — draw up, thou king of the Greeks ; 
draw into the quarry, Agamemnon, or I shall never be able to 
pass you. Welcome home, cousin ’duke — welcome, welcome, 
black-eyed Bess. Thou seest, Marmaduke, that I have taken 
the field with an assorted cargo, to do thee honor. Monsieur 
Le Quoi has come out with only one cap ; Old Fritz would not 
stay to finish the bottle ; and Mr. Grant has got to put the 
4 lastly ’ to his sermon, yet. Even all the horses would come — 
by the by, Judge, I must sell the blacks for you immediately; 
they interfere, and the nigh one is a bad goer in double harness. 

I can get rid of them to ” 

“ Sell what thou wilt, Dickon,” interrupted the cheerful voice 
of the Judge, “so that thou leavest me my daughter and my 
lands. Ah ! Fritz, my old friend, this is a kind compliment, 
indeed, for seventy to pay to five-and-forty. Monsieur Le Quoi, 
I am your servant. Mr. Grant,” lifting his cap, “ I feel indebted 
to your attention. Gentlemen, I make you acquainted with my 
child. Yours are names with which she is very familiar.” 

3 


50 


THE PIONEERS. 


“Velcome, velcome, Tchooge,” said tlie elder of the party, 
with a strong German accent. “ Miss Petsy vill owe me a kiss.” 

“ And cheerfully will I pay it, my good sir,” cried the soft 
voice of Elizabeth ; which sounded, in the clear air of the hills, 
like tones of silver, amid the loud cries of Richard. “ I havo 
always a kiss for my old friend, Major Hartmann.” 

By this time the gentleman in the front seat, who had been 
addressed as Monsieur Le Quoi, had arisen with some difficulty, 
owing to the impediment of his overcoats, and steadying him- 
self by placing one hand on the stool of the charioteer, with the 
other he removed his cap, and bowing politely to the Judge, 
and profoundly to Elizabeth, he paid his compliments. 

“ Cover thy poll, Gaul, cover thy poll,” cried the driver, who 
was Mr. Richard Jones ; “ cover thy poll, or the frost will pluck 
out the remnant of thy locks. Had the hairs on the head of 
Absalom been as scarce as thine, he might have been living to 
this day.” The jokes of Richard never failed of exciting risibi- 
lity, for he uniformly did honor to his own wit ; and he enjoyed 
a hearty laugh on the present occasion, while Mr. Le Quoi 
resumed his seat with a polite reciprocation in his mirth. The 
clergyman, for such was the office of Mr. Grant, modestly, 
though quite affectionately, exchanged his greetings with the 
travellers also, when Richard prepared to turn the heads of his 
horses homeward. 

It was in the quarry alone that he could effect this object, 
without ascending to the summit of the mountain. A very con- 
siderable excavation had been made in the side of the hill, at 
the point where Richard had succeeded in stopping the sleighs, 
from which the stones used for building in the village were ordi- 
narily quarried, and in which he now attempted to turn his team. 
Passing itself was a task of difficulty, and frequently of danger, 
in that narrow road ; but Richard had to meet the additional 
risk of turning his four-in-hand. The black civilly volunteered 
his services to take off the leaders, and the Judge very earnestly 
seconded the measure with his advice. Richard treated both 
proposals with great disdain : 


THE PIONEERS. 


51 


“ Why, and wherefore, cousin ’duke?” he exclaimed, a little 
angrily : “ the horses are gentle as lambs. You know that I 
broke the leaders myself, and the pole-horses are too near my 
whip to be restive. Here is Mr. Le Quoi, now, who must know 
something about driving, because he has rode out so often with 
me ; I will leave it to Mr. Le Quoi whether there is any 
danger.” 

It was not in the nature of the Frenchman to disappoint 
expectations so confidently formed ; although he sat looking 
down the precipice which fronted him, as Richard turned his 
leaders into the quarry, with a pair of eyes that stood out like 
those of lobsters. The German’s muscles were unmoved, but 
his quick sight scanned each movement. Mr. Grant placed his 
hands on the side of the sleigh, in preparation for a spring, but 
moral timidity deterred him from taking the leap that bodily 
apprehension strongly urged him to attempt. 

Richard, by a sudden application of the whip, succeeded in 
forcing the leaders into the snow-bank that covered the quarry ; 
but the instant that the impatient animals suffered by the crust, 
through which they broke at each step, they positively refused 
to move an inch further in that direction. On the contrary, 
finding that the cries and blows of their driver were redoubled 
at this juncture, the leaders backed upon the pole-horses, who, 
in their turn, backed the sleigh. Only a single log lay above 
the pile which upheld the road, on the side towards the valley, 
and this was now buried in the snow. The sleigh was easily 
forced across so slight an impediment ; and before Richard 
became conscious of his danger, one half of the vehicle was 
projected over a precipice, which fell, perpendicularly, more than 
a hundred feet. The Frenchman, who, by his position, had a 
full view of their threatened flight, instinctively threw his body 
as far forward as possible, and cried, “ Ah ! Mon cher monsieur 
Deeck ! mon Dieu ! que faites vous !” 

“ Donner and blitzen, Richart,” exclaimed the veteran Ger- 
man, looking over the side of the sleigh with unusual emotion, 
“ put you will preak ter sleigh and kilt ter horses.” 


r> 2 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ Good Mr. Jones,” said the clergyman, “ be prudent, good 
sir — be careful.” 

“ Get up, obstinate devils !” cried Richard, catching a bird’s- 
eye view of his situation, and, in his eagerness to move forward, 
kicking the stool on which he sat, — “ Get up, I say — Cousin 
’duke, I shall have to sell the greys too ; they are the worst 
broken horses — Mr. Le Quaw !” Richard was too much agitated 
to regard his pronunciation, of which he was commonly a little 
vain ; “ Monsieur Le Quaw, pray get off my leg ; you hold my 
leg so tight, that it’s no wonder the horses back.” 

“ Merciful Providence !” exclaimed the J udge, “ they will be 
all killed !” 

Elizabeth gave a piercing shriek, and the black of Agamem- 
non’s face changed to a muddy white. 

At this critical moment, the young hunter, who, during the 
salutations of the parties, had sat in rather sullen silence, sprang 
from the sleigh of Marmaduke to the heads of the refractory 
leaders. The horses, who were yet suffering under the injudi- 
cious and somewhat random blows of Richard, were dancing up 
and down with that ominous movement that threatens a sudden 
and uncontrollable start, still pressing backwards. The youth 
gave the leaders a powerful jerk, and they plunged aside, 
and re-entered the road in the position in which they were 
first halted. The sleigh was whirled from its dangerous posi- 
tion, and upset with the runnel's outwards. The German and 
the divine were thrown, rather unceremoniously, into the high- 
way, but without danger to their bones. Richard appeared in 
the air, describing the segment of a circle of which the reins 
were the radii, and landed at the distance of some fifteen feet, 
in that snow-bank which the horses had dreaded, right end 
uppermost. Here, as he instinctively grasped the reins, as 
drowning men seize at straws, he admirably served the purpose 
of an anchor. The Frenchman, who was on his legs in the act 
of springing from the sleigh, took an aerial flight also, much in 
the attitude which boys assume when they play leap-frog, and 
flying off in a tangent to the curvature of his course, came into 


THE PIONEERS. 


53 


the snow-bank head foremost, where he remained, exhibiting 
two lathy legs on high, like scarecrows waving in a corn field. 
Major Hartmann, whose self-possession had been admirably 
preserved during the whole evolution, was the first of the party 
that gained his feet and his voice. 

“ Ter dey vel, Richart !” he exclaimed, in a voice half serious, 
half comical, “ put you unloat your sleigh very hantily.” 

It may be doubtful whether the attitude in which Mr. Grant 
continued for an instant after his overthrow was the one into 
which he had been thrown, or was assumed, in humbling him- 
self before the power that he reverenced, in thanksgiving at his 
escape. When he rose from his knees, he began to gaze about 
him, with anxious looks, after the welfare of his companions, 
while every joint in his body trembled with nervous agitation. 
There was some confusion in the faculties of Mr. Jones also ; 
but as the mist gradually cleared from before his eyes, he saw 
that all was safe, and, with an air of great self-satisfaction, he 
cried, “ Well — that was neatly saved, any how ! — it was a 
lucky thought in me to hold on the reins, or the fiery devils 
would have been over the mountain by this time. How well I 
recovered myself, ’duke ! Another moment would have been 
too late ; but I knew just the spot where to touch the off- 
leader ; that blow under his right flank, and the sudden jerk I 
gave the rein, brought them round quite in rule, I must own 
myself.”* 

“ Thou jerk ! thou recover thyself, Dickon !” he said, “ but 
for that brave lad yonder, thou and thy horses, or rather mine, 
would have been dashed to pieces ; — but where is Monsieur Le 
Quoi ?” 

“ Oh ! mon cher Juge ! Mon ami !” cried a smothered voice, 
“ praise be God, I live ; vill you, Mister Agamemnon, be pleas 
come down ici, and help me on my leg ?” 

The divine and the negro seized the incarcerated Gaul by his 

* The spectators, from immemorial usage, have a right to laugh at the casualties 
of a sleigh-ride ; and the Judge was no sooner certain that no harm was done, than 
ho made full use of the privilege. 


54 


THE PIONEERS. 


legs, and extricated him from a snow-bank of three feet in deptli. 
whence his voice had sounded as from the tombs. The thoughts 
of Mr. Le Quoi, immediately on his liberation, were not 
extremely collected ; and when he reached the light, he threw 
his eyes upwards, in order to examine the distance he had fallen. 
His good humor returned, however, with a knowledge of his 
safety, though it was some little time before he clearly compre- 
hended the case. 

“What, monsieur,” said Richard, who was busily assisting 
the black in taking off the leaders ; “ are you there ? I 
thought I saw you flying towards the top of the mountain just 
now.” 

“ Praise be God, I no fly down into the lake,” returned the 
Frenchman, with a visage that was divided between pain, occa- 
sioned by a few large scratches that he had received in forcing 
his head through the crust, and the look of complaisance that 
seemed natural to his pliable features : “ ah ! mon cher Mister 
Deeck, vat you do next ? — dere be noting you no try.” 

“ The next thing, T trust, will be to learn to drive,” said the 
Judge, who had busied himself in throwing the buck, together 
with several other articles of baggage, from his own sleigh into 
the snow ; “ here are seats for you all, gentlemen ; the evening 
grows piercingly cold, and the hour approaches for the service 
of Mr. Grant : we will leave friend Jones to repair the damages, 
with the assistance of Agamemnon, and hasten to a warm fire. 
Here, Dickon, are a few articles of Bess’s trumpery, that you 
can throw into your sleigh when ready; and there is also 
a deer of my taking, that I will thank you to bring. Aggy ! 
remember that there will be a visit from Santaclaus* to- 
night.” 

The black grinned, conscious of the bribe that was offered 
him for silence on the subject of the deer, while Richard, with- 


* The periodical visits of St. Nicholas, or Santaclaus as he is termed, were never 
forgotten among the inhabitants of New YorK, until the emigration from New 
England brought in the opinions and usages of the puritans. Like the “ bon hommc 
de Nodi.” he arrives at each Christmas. 


THE PIONEERS. 


55 


out in tlie least waiting for the termination of his cousin’s 
speech, began his reply — 

“ Learn to drive, sayest thou, cousin ’duke ? Is there a man 
in the county who knows more of horse-flesh than myself? 
Who broke in the filly, that no one else dare mount ; though 
your coachman did pretend that he had tamed her before I 
took her in hand ; but anybody could see that he lied — he was 
a great liar, that John — what’s that, a buck ?” — Richard aban- 
doned the horses, and ran to the spot where Marmaduke had 
thrown the deer : “ It is a buck ! I am amazed ! Yes, here are 
two holes in him, he has fired both barrels, and hit him each 
time. Ecod ! how Marmaduke will brag ! he is a prodigious 
bragger about any small matter like this now ; well, to think 
that ’duke has killed a buck before Christmas ! There will be 
no such thing as living with him — they are both bad shots 
though, mere chance — mere chance ; — now, I never fired twice 
at a cloven foot in my life ; — it is hit or miss with me — dead or 
run away : — had it been a bear, or a wild cat, a man might 
have wanted both barrels. Here ! you Aggy ! how far off was 
the Judge when this buck was shot?” 

“ Eh ! Massa Richard, may be a ten rod,” cried the black, 
bending under one' of the horses, with the pretence of fastening 
a buckle, but in reality to conceal the grin that opened a mouth 
from ear to ear. 

“ Ten rod !” echoed the other ; “ why, Aggy, the deer I killed 
last winter was at twenty — yes ! if anything it was nearer 
thirty than twenty. I wouldn’t shoot at a deer at ten rod : 
besides, you may remember, Aggy, I only fired once.” 

“ Yes, Massa Richard, I ’member ’em ! Natty Bumppo 
fire t’oder gun. You know, sir, all ’e folk say Natty kill 
him.” 

“ The folks lie, you black devil !” exclaimed Richard in great 
heat. “ I have not shot even a grey squirrel these four years, 
to which that old rascal has not laid claim, or some one else for 
him. This is a damned envious world that we live in — people 
are always for dividing the credit of a thing, in order to bring 


50 


THE PIONEERS. 


down merit to their own level. Now they have a story about the 
Patent,* that Hiram Doolittle helped to plan the steeple to St. 
Paul’s ; when Hiram knows that it is entirely mine ; a little 
taken from a print of its namesake in London, I own ; but 
essentially, as to all points of genius, my own.” 

I don’t know where he come from,” said the black, losing 
every mark of humor in an expression of admiration, “ but 
eb’ry body say, he wonnerful hansome.” 

“ And well they may say so, Aggy,” cried Richard, leading 
the buck and walking up to the negro with the air of a man 
who has new interest awakened within him. “ I think I may 
say, without bragging, that it is the handsomest and the most 
scientific country church in America. I know that the Connec- 
ticut settlers talk about their Westher field meeting-house ; but 
I never believe more than half what they sa} r , they are such 
unconscionable braggers. Just as you have got a thing done, 
if they see it likely to be successful, they are always for inter- 
fering ; and then it’s ten to one but they lay claim to half, or 
even all of the credit. You may remember, Aggy, when I 
painted the sign of the bold dragoon for Captain Hollister, there 
was that fellow, who was about town laying brick dust on the 
houses, came one day and offered to mix what I call the streaky 
black, for the tail and mane, and then, because it looks like 
horse hair, he tells everybody that the sign was painted by 
himself and Squire Jones. If Marmaduke don’t send that fel- 
low off the Patent, he may ornament his village with his own 
hands for me.” Here Richard paused a moment, and cleared 
his throat by a loud hem, while the negro, who was all this 
time busily engaged in preparing the sleigh, proceeded with his 
work in respectful silence. Owing to the religious scruples of 
the Judge, Aggy was the servant of Richard, who had his ser- 

* The grants of land, made either by the crown or the state, were by letters 
patent under the great seal, and the term “ patent ” is usually applied to any dis- 
trict of extent, thus conceded ; though under the crown, manorial rights being 
often granted with the soil, in the older counties, the word “ manor ” is frequently 
used. There are many “manors ” in New York, though all political and judicial 
rights have ceased. 


THE PIONEERS. 


57 


vices for a time* and who, of course, commanded a legal claim 
to the respect of the young negro. But when any dispute 
between his lawful and his real master occurred, the black felt 
too much deference for both to express any opinion. In the 
meanwhile, Richard continued watching the negro as he fastened 
buckle after buckle, until, stealing a look of consciousness towards 
the other, he continued, “ Now, if that young man who was in 
your sleigh, is a real Connecticut settler, he will be telling every- 
body how he saved my horses, when, if he had let them alone 
for half a minute longer, I would have brought them in much 
better, without upsetting, with the whip and rein — it spoils a 
horse to give him his head. I should not wonder if I had 
to sell the whole team, just for that one jerk he gave them.” 
Richard paused, and hemmed ; for his conscience smote him a 
little, for censuring a man who had just saved his life : — “ Who 
is the lad, Aggy — I don’t remember to have seen him 
before ?” 

The black recollected the hint about Santaclaus ; and while 
he briefly explained how they had taken up the person in 
question on the top of the mountain, he forbore to add any- 
thing concerning the accident of the wound, only saying that he 
believed the youth was a stranger. It was so usual for men of 
the first rank to take into their sleighs any one they found 
toiling through the snow, that Richard was perfectly satisfied 
with this explanation. He heard Aggy with great attention, 
and then remarked, “ Well, if the lad has not been spoiled by 
the people in Templeton, he may be a modest young man, and 
as he certainly meant well, I shall take some notice of him — 


* The manumission of the slaves in New York has been gradual. When public 
opinion became strong in their favor, then grew up a custom of buying the services 
of a slave, for six or eight years, with a condition to liberate him at the end of 
the period. Then the law provided that all born after a certain day should be free, 
the males at twenty-eight, and the females at twenty five. After this the owner 
was obliged to cause his servants to be taught to read and write before they reached 
the age of eighteen, and, finally, the few that remained were all unconditionally 
liberated in 182G, or after the publication of this tale. It was quite usual for men 
more or less connected with the quakers, who never held slaves, to adopt the first 
expedient. 


3 * 


68 


THE PIONEERS. 


perhaps he is land-hunting — I say, Aggy, may be he is out 
hunting ?” 

“ Eh ! yes, massa Richard,” said the black, a little confused ; 
for as Richard did all the flogging, he stood in great terror of 
his master, in the main : — “ Yes, sir, I b’lieve he be.” 

“ Had he a pack and an axe ?” 

“ No, sir, only he rifle.” 

“ Rifle !” exclaimed Richard, observing the confusion of the 
negro, which now amounted to terror. “By Jove, he killed 
the deer ! I knew that Marmaduke couldn’t kill a buck on the 
jump — how was it, Aggy ? tell me all about it, and I’ll roast 
’duke quicker than he can roast his saddle — How was it, Aggy ? 
the lad shot the buck, and the Judge bought it, ha! and he is 
taking the youth down to get the pay ?” 

The pleasure of this discovery had put Richard in such a 
good humor, that the negro’s fears in some measure vanished, 
and he remembered the stocking of Santaclaus. After a gulp 
or two, he made out to reply — 

“ You forgit a two shot, sir ?” 

“ Don’t lie, you black rascal !” cried Richard, stepping on the 
snow-bank to measure the distance from his lash to the negro’s 
back ; “ speak truth, or I trounce you.” While speaking, the 
stock was slowly rising in Richard’s right hand, and the lash 
drawing through his left, in the scientific manner with which 
drummers apply the cat ; and Agamemnon, after turning each 
side of himself towards his master, and finding both equally 
unwilling to remain there, fairly gave in. In a very few words 
he made his master acquainted with the truth, at the same 
time earnestly conjuring Richard to protect him from the dis- 
pleasure of the Judge. 

“ I’ll do it, boy, I’ll do it,” cried the other, rubbing his hands 
with delight ; “ say nothing, but leave me to manage ’duke : — • 
I have a great mind to leave the deer on the hill, and to make 
the fellow send for his own carcase : but no, I will let Marma- 
duke tell a few bounces about it before I come out upon him. 
Come, hurry in, Aggy, I must help to dress the lad’s wound : 


THE PIONEERS. 


59 


this Yankee* doctor knows nothing of surgery — I had to hold 
old Milligan’s leg for him, while he cut it off.” — Richard was 
now seated on the stool again, and the black taking the hind 
seat, the steeds were put in motion towards home. As they 
dashed down the hill, on a fast trot, the driver occasionally 
turned his face to Aggy, and continued speaking ; for notwith- 
standing their recent rupture, the most perfect cordiality was 
again existing between them. “ This goes to prove that I 
turned the horses with the reins, for no man who is shot in the 
right shoulder can have strength enough to bring round such 
obstinate devils. I knew I did it from the first ; but I did not 
want to multiply words with Marmaduke about it. — Will you 
bite, you villain ? — hip, boys, hip ! Old Natty too, that is the 
best of it ! — Well, well — ’duke will say no more about my deer 
— and the Judge fired both barrels, and hit nothing but a poor 
lad, who was behind a pine tree. I must help that quack to 
take out the buck shot for the poor fellow.” In this manner 
Richard descended the mountain; the bells ringing, and his 
tongue going, until they entered the village, when the whole 
attention of the driver was devoted to a display of his horse- 
manship, to the admiration of all the gaping women and chil- 
dren who thronged the windows to witness the arrival of their 
landlord and his daughter. 


* In America the term Yankee is of local meaning. It is thought to he derived 
from the manner in which the Indians of New England pronounced the word 
“English” or “ Yengeese.” New York being originally a Dutch province, the term 
of course was not known there, and further south different dialects among the na- 
tives themselves, probably produced a different pronunciation. Marmaduke and 
his cousin being Pennsylvanians by birth, were not Yankees in the American sense 
of the word. 


CO 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER V. 

Nathaniel’s coat, sir, was not fully made, 

And Gabriel’s pumps were all unpink’d i’ th’ heel; 

There was no link to color Peter’s hat, 

And Walter’s dagger was not come from sheathing ; 

There were none fine, but Adam, Ralph, and Gregory. 

Shakspeark. 


After winding along the side of the mountain, the road, on 
reaching the gentle declivity which lay at the base of the hill, 
turned at a right angle to its former course, and shot down an 
inclined plane, directly into the village of Templeton. The rapid 
little stream that we have already mentioned, was crossed by a 
bridge of hewn timber, which manifested, by its rude construc- 
tion, and the unnecessary size of its framework, both the value of 
labor and the abundance of materials. This little torrent, whose 
dark waters gushed over the limestones that lined its bottom, 
was nothing less than one of the many sources of the Susque- 
hanna ; a river to which the Atlantic herself has extended an 
arm in welcome. It was at this point that the powerful team 
of Mr. Jones brought him up to the more sober steeds of our 
travellers. A small hill was risen, and Elizabeth found herself 
at once amidst the incongruous dwellings of the village. The 
street was of the ordinary width, notwithstanding the eye might 
embrace, in one view, thousands and tens of thousands of acres, 
that were yet tenanted only by the beasts of the forest. But 
such had been the will of her father, and such had also met the 
wishes of his followers. To them the road, that made the most 
rapid approaches to the condition of the old, or, as they 
expressed it, the down countries, was the most pleasant ; and 
surely nothing could look more like civilization than a city, 
even if it lay in a wilderness ! The width of the street, for so 


TIIE PIONEERS. 


G1 


it was called, might have been one hundred feet ; but the track 
for the sleighs was much more limited. On either side of the 
highway were piled huge heaps of logs that were daily increas- 
ing rather than diminishing in size, notwithstanding the 
enormous fires that might be seen through every window. 

The last object at which Elizabeth gazed when they renewed 
their journey, after the rencontre with Richard, was the sun, as it 
expanded in the refraction of the horizon, and over whose disk 
the dark umbrage of a pine was stealing, while it slowly sank 
behind the western hills. But his setting rays darted along the 
openings of the mountain she was on, and lighted the shining 
covering of the birches, until their smooth and glossy coats 
nearly rivalled the mountain-sides in color. The outline of each 
dark pine was delineated far in the depths of the forest ; and the 
rocks, too smooth and too perpendicular to retain the snow that 
had fallen, brightened, as if smiling at the leave-taking of the lumi- 
nary. But at each step, as they descended, Elizabeth observed 
that they were leaving the day behind them. Even the heart- 
less but bright rays of a December sun were missed, as they 
glided into the cold gloom of the valley. Along the summits 
of the mountains in the eastern range, it is true, the light still 
lingered, receding step by step from the earth into the clouds 
that were gathering, with the evening mist, about the limited 
horizon ; but the frozen lake lay without a shadow on its 
bosom ; the dwellings were becoming already gloomy and in- 
distinct; and the wood-cutters were shouldering their axes, and 
preparing to enjoy, throughout the long evening before them, 
the comforts of those exhilarating fires that their labor had been 
supplying with fuel. They paused only to gaze at the passing 
sleighs, to lift their caps to Marmaduke, to. exchange familiar 
nods with Richard, and each disappeared in his dwelling. The 
paper curtains dropped behind our travellers in every window, 
shutting from the air even the fire-light of the cheerful apart- 
ments ; and when the horses of her father turned, with a rapid 
whirl, into the open gate of the mansion-house, and nothing 
stood before her but the cold dreary stone walls of the building, 


62 


THE PIONEERS. 


as she approached them through an avenue of young and leafless 
poplars, Elizabeth felt as if all the loveliness of the mountain- 
view had vanished like the fancies of a dream. Marmaduke 
retained so much of his early habits as to reject the use of bells ; 
but the equipage of Mr. Jones came dashing through the gate 
after them, sending its jingling sounds through every cranny of 
the building, and in a moment the dwelling was in an uproar. 

On a stone platform, of rather small proportions, considering 
the size of the building, Richard and Hiram had, conjointly, 
reared four little columns of wood, which in their turn supported 
the shingled roofs of the portico — this was the name that Mr. 
Jones had thought proper to give to a very plain, covered 
entrance. The ascent to the platform was by five or six stone 
steps, somewhat hastily laid together, and which the frost had 
already begun to move from their symmetrical positions. But 
the evils of a cold climate, and a superficial construction, did 
not end here. As the steps lowered, the platform necessarily 
fell also, and the foundations actually left the superstructure 
suspended in the air, leaving an open space of a foot between 
the base of the pillars and the stones on which they had 
originally been placed. It was lucky for the whole fabric that 
the carpenter, who did the manual part of the labor, had 
fastened the canopy of this classic entrance so firmly to the side 
of the house, that, when the base deserted the superstructure 
in the manner we have described, and the pillars, for the want 
of a foundation, were no longer of service to support the roof, 
the roof was able to uphold the pillars. Here was, indeed, an 
unfortunate gap left in the ornamental part of Richard’s column ; 
but, like the window in Aladdin’s palace, it seemed only left in 
order to prove the fertility of its master’s resources. The com- 
posite order again offered its advantages, and a seeond edition 
of the base was given, as the booksellers say, with additions and 
improvements. It was necessarily larger, and it was properly 
ornamented with mouldings : still the steps continued to yield, 
and, at the moment when Elizabeth returned to her father’s 
door, a few rough wedges were driven under the pillars to keep 


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63 


them steady, and to prevent their weight from separating them 
from the pediment which they ought to have supported. 

From the great door which opened into the porch emerged 
two or three female domestics, and one male. The latter was 
bare-headed, but evidently more dressed than usual, and on the 
whole was of so singular a formation and attire, as to deserve a 
more minute description. He was about five feet in height, of 
a square and athletic frame, with a pair of shoulders that would 
have fitted a grenadier. His low stature was rendered the more 
striking by a bend forward that he was in the habit of assuming, 
for no apparent reason, unless it might be to give greater free- 
dom to his arms, in a particularly sweeping swing, that they con- 
stantly practised when their master was in motion. His face 
was long, of a fair complexion, burnt to a fiery red ; with a snub 
nose, cocked into an inveterate pug ; a mouth of enormous 
dimensions, filled with fine teeth ; and a pair of blue eyes, that 
seemed to look about them, on surrounding objects, with habi- 
tual contempt. His head composed full one fourth of his whole 
length, and the queue that depended from its rear occupied 
another. He wore a coat of very light drab cloth, with 
buttons as large as dollars, bearing the impression of a “foul 
anchor.” The skirts were extremely long, reaching quite to 
the calf, and were broad in proportion. Beneath, there were a 
vest and breeches of red plush, somewhat worn and soiled. He 
had shoes with large buckles, and stockings of blue and white 
stripes. 

This odd-looking figure reported himself to be a native of the 
county of Cornwall, in the island of Great Britain. His boy- 
hood had passed in the neighborhood of the tin mines, and 
his youth as the cabin-boy of a smuggler, between Falmouth 
and Guernsey. From this trade he had been impressed into 
the service of his king, and, for the want of a better, had been 
taken into the cabin, first as a servant, and finally as steward to 
the captain. Here he acquired the art of making chowder, 
lobskous, and one or two other sea-dishes, and, as he was fond 
of saying, had an opportunity of seeing the world. With the 


64 


THE PIONEERS. 


exception of one or two out-ports in France, and an occasional 
visit to Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Deal, he had in reality seen 
no more of mankind, however, than if he Pad been riding a 
donkey in one of his native mines. But, being discharged from 
the navy at the peace of ’83, he declared that, as he had seen 
all the civilized parts of the earth, he was inclined to make a 
trip to the wilds of America. We will not trace him in his 
brief wanderings, under the influence of that spirit of emigra- 
tion that sometimes induces a dapper Cockney to quit his home, 
and lands him, before the sound of Bow bells is out of his 
ears, within the roar of the cataract of Niagara ; but shall 
only add, that, at a very early day, even before Elizabeth had 
been sent to school, he had found his way into the family of 
Marmaduke Temple, where, owing to a combination of qualities 
that will be developed in the course of the tale, he held, under 
Mr. Jones, the office of Major-domo. The name of this worthy 
was Benjamin Penguillan, according to his own pronunciation ; 
but, owing to a marvellous tale that he was in the habit of 
relating, concerning the length of time he had to labor to keep 
his ship from sinking after Rodney’s victory, he had universally 
acquired the nickname of Ben Pump. 

By the side of Benjamin, and pressing forward as if a little 
jealous of her station, stood a middle-aged woman, dressed in 
calico, rather violently contrasted in color with a tall, meagre, 
shapeless figure, sharp features, and a somewhat acute expression 
of her physiognomy. Her teeth were mostly gone, and. what 
did remain were of a light yellow. The skin of her nose was 
drawn tightly over the member, to hang in large wrinkles in 
her cheeks and about her mouth. She took snuff in such quan- 
tities, as to create the impression that she owed the saffron of 
her lips and the adjacent parts to this circumstance ; but it w r as 
the unvarying color of her whole face. She presided over the 
female part of the domestic arrangements, in the capacity of 
housekeeper ; was a spinster, and bore the name of Remarkable 
Pettibone. To Elizabeth she was an entire stranger, having 
been introduced into the family since the death of her mother. 


THE PIONEERS. 


05 


Iii addition to these, were three or four subordinate menials, 
mostly black, some appearing at the principal door, and some 
running from the end of the building, where stood the entrance 
to the cellar-kitchen. 

Besides these, there was a general rush from Richard’s kennel, 
accompanied with every canine tone, from the howl of the wolf- 
dog to the petulant bark of the terrier. The master received 
their boisterous salutations with a variety of imitations from his 
own throat, when the dogs, probably from shame of being out- 
done, ceased their outcry. One stately, powerful mastiff, who 
wore round his neck a brass collar, with “ M. T.” engraved in 
large letters on the rim, alone was silent. He walked majesti- 
cally, anffd the confusion, to the side of the Judge, where, 
receiving a kind pat or two, he turned to Elizabeth, who even 
stooped to kiss him, as she called him kindly by the name of 
“ Old Brave.” The animal seemed to know her, as she ascended 
the steps, supported by Monsieur Le Quoi and her father, in 
order to protect her from falling on the ice with which they 
were covered. He looked wistfully after her figure, and when 
the door closed on the whole party, he laid himself in a kennel 
that was placed nigh by, as if conscious that the house contained 
something of additional value to guard. 

Elizabeth followed her father, who paused a moment to whis- 
per a message to one of his domestics, into a large hall, that 
was dimly lighted by two candles, placed in high, old-fashioned, 
brass candlesticks. The door closed, and the party were at once 
removed from an atmosphere that was nearly at Zero, to one of 
sixty degrees above. In the centre of the hall stood an enor- 
mous stove, the sides of which appeared to be quivering with 
heat ; from which a large, straight pipe, leading through the 
ceiling above, carried off the smoke. An iron basin, containing 
water, was placed on this furnace, for such only it could be 
called, in order to preserve a proper humidity in the apartment. 
The room was carpeted, and furnished with convenient, substan- 
tial furniture, some of which was brought from the city, and 
the remainder having been manufactured by the mechanics of 


THE PIONEERS. 


6t) 

Templeton. There was a sideboard of mahogany, inlaid with 
ivory, and bearing enormous handles of glittering brass, and 
groaning under the piles of silver plate. Near it stood a set of 
prodigious tables, made of the wild cherry, to imitate the 
imported wood of the sideboard, but plain, and without orna- 
ment of any kind. Opposite to these stood a smaller table, 
formed from a lighter-colored wood, through the grains of 
which the wavy lines of the curled maple of the mountains were 
beautifully undulating. Near to this, in a corner, stood a heavy, 
old-fashioned, brass-faced clock, encased in a high box, of the 
dark hue of the black walnut from the sea-shore. An enormous 
settee, or sofa, covered with light chintz, stretched along the 
walls for near twenty feet on one side of the hall ; and chairs of 
wood, painted a light yellow, with black lines that were drawn 
by no very steady hand, were ranged opposite, and in the inter- 
vals between the other pieces of furniture. A Fahrenheit’s ther- 
mometer, in a mahogany case, and with a barometer annexed, 
was hung against the wall, at some little distance from the 
stove, which Benjamin consulted, every half-hour, with prodi- 
gious exactitude. Two small glass chandeliers were suspended at 
equal distances between the stove and the outer doors, one of 
which opened at each end of the hall, and gilt lustres were 
affixed to the framework of the numerous side doors that led 
from the apartment. Some little display in architecture had 
been made in constructing these frames and casings, which were 
surmounted with pediments, that bore each a little pedestal in 
its centre : on these pedestals were small busts in blacked plas- 
ter of Paris. The style of the pedestals, as well as the selec- 
tion of the busts, were all due to the taste of Mr. Jones. On 
one stood Homer, a most striking likeness, Richard affirmed, 
“ as any one might see, for it was blind.” Another bore the 
image of a smooth visaged gentleman with a pointed beard, 
whom he called Shakspeare. A third ornament was an urn, 
which from its shape, Richard was accustomed to say, intended 
to represent itself as holding the ashes of Dido. A fourth was 
certainly old Franklin, in his cap and spectacles. A fifth as 


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67 


surely bore the dignified composure of the face of Washington. 
A sixth was a nondescript, representing “ a man with a shirt 
collar open,” to use the language of Richard, “ with a laurel on 
his head; — it was Julius Caesar or Dr. Faustus ; there were 
good reasons for believing either.” 

The walls were hung with a dark, lead-colored English paper 
that represented Britannia weeping over the tomb of Wolfe. 
The hero himself stood at a little distance from the mourning 

o 

goddess, and at the edge of the paper. Each width contained 
the figure, with the slight exception of one arm of the General, 
which ran over on the next piece, so that when Richard essayed, 
with his own hands, to put together this delicate outline, some 
difficulties occurred that prevented a nice conjunction ; and 
Britannia had reason to lament, in addition to the loss of 
her favorite’s life, numberless cruel amputations of his right 
arm. 

The luckless cause of these unnatural divisions now announced 
his presence in the hall by a loud crack of his whip. 

“ Why, Benjamin ! you Ben Pump ! is this the manner in 
which you receive the heiress ?” he cried. “ Excuse him, 
cousin Elizabeth. The arrangements were too intricate to be 
trusted to every one ; but now I am here, things will go on 
better. Come, light up, Mr. Penguillan, light up, light up, 
and let us see one another’s faces. Well, ’duke, I have brought 
home your deer ; what is to be done with it, ha ?” 

“ By the Lord, Squire,” commenced Benjamin in reply, first 
giving his mouth a wipe with the back of his hand, “ if this here 
thing had been ordered sum’at earlier in the day, it might have 
been got up, d’ye see, to your liking. I had mustered all hands, 
and was exercising candles, when you hove in sight ; but when 
the women heard your bells they started an end, as if they were 
riding the boatswain’s colt ; and, if-so-be there is that man in 
the house, who can bring up a parcel of women when they have 
got headway on them, until they’ve run out the end of their 
rope, his name is not Benjamin Pump. But Miss Betsey here 
must have altered more than a privateer in disguise, since she 


68 


THE PIONEERS. 


has got on her woman’s duds, if she will take offence with an 
old fellow tor the small matter of lighting a few candles.” 

Elizabeth and her father continued silent, for both experienced 
the same sensation on entering the hall. The former had 
resided one year in the building before she left home for chool, 
and the figure of its lamented mistress was missed by both hus- 
band and child. 

But candles had been placed in the chandeliers and lustres, 
and the attendants were so far recovered from surprise as to 
recollect their use ; the oversight was immediately remedied, 
and in a minute the apartment was in a blaze of light. 

The slight melancholy of our heroine and her father was 
banished by this brilliant interruption ; and the whole party 
began to lay aside the numberless garments they had worn in 
the air. 

During this operation, Richard kept up a desultory dialogue 
with the different domestics, occasionally throwing out a remark 
to the Judge concerning the deer ; but as his conversation at 
such moments was much like an accompaniment on a piano, a 
thing that is heard without being attended to, we will not 
undertake the task of recording his diffuse discourse. 

The instant that Remarkable Pettibone had executed her por- 
tion of the labor in illuminating, she returned to a position near 
Elizabeth, with the apparent motive of receiving the clothes that 
the other threw aside, but in reality to examine, with an air of 
curiosity — not unmixed with jealousy, — the appearance of the 
lady who was to supplant her in the administration of their 
domestic economy. The housekeeper felt a little appalled, when, 
after cloaks, coats, shawls, and socks had been taken off in suc- 
cession, the large black hood was removed, and the dark ring- 
lets, shining like the raven’s wing, fell from her head, and left 
the sweet but commanding features of the young lady exposed 
to view. Nothing could be fairer and more spotless than the 
forehead of Elizabeth, and preserve the appearance of life and 
health. Her nose would have been called Grecian, but for a 
softly rounded swell, that gave in character to the feature what 


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69 


it lost in beauty Her mouth, at first sight, seemed only made 
for love ; but the instant that its muscles moved, every expres- 
sion that womanly dignity could utter played around it with the 
flexibility of female grace. It spoke not only to the ear but to 
the eye. So much added to a form of exquisite proportions, 
rather full and rounded for her years, and of the tallest medium 
height, she inherited from her mother. Even the color of her 
eye, the arched brows, and the long silken lashes, came from 
the same source ; but its expression was her father’s. Inert and 
composed, it was soft, benevolent, and attractive ; but it could 
be roused, and that without much difficulty. At such moments 
it was still beautiful, though it was a little severe. As the last 
shawl fell aside, and she stood dressed in a rich blue riding-habit, 
that fitted her form with the nicest exactness ; her cheeks burn- 
ing with roses, that bloomed the richer for the heat of the hall, 
and her eyes slightly suffused with moisture that rendered their 
ordinary beauty more dazzling, and with every feature of her 
speaking countenance illuminated by the lights that flared 
around her, Remarkable felt that her own power had ended. 

The business of unrobing had been simultaneous. Marma- 
duke appeared in a suit of plain neat black ; Monsieur Le Quoi, 
in a coat of snuff color, covering a vest of embroidery, with 
breeches, and silk stockings, and buckles — that were commonly 
thought to be of paste. Major Hartmann wore a coat of sky-blue, 
with large brass buttons, a club-wig, and boots ; and Mr. 
Richard Jones had set off his dapper little form in a frock 
of bottle green, with bullet-buttons, by one of which the sides 
were united over his well-rounded waist, opening above, so as to 
show a jacket of red cloth, with an under-vest of flannel, faced 
with green velvet, and below, so as to exhibit a pair of buckskin 
breeches, with long, soiled, white top boots, and spurs ; one of 
the latter a little bent, from its recent attacks on the stool. 

When the young lady had extricated herself from her 
garments, she was at liberty to gaze about her, and to examine 
not only the household over which she was to preside, but also 
the air and manner in which their domestic arrangements were 


70 


THE PIONEERS. 


conducted. Although there was much incongruity in the furni- 
ture and appearance of the hall, there was nothing mean. The 
floor was carpeted, even in its remotest corners. The brass 
candlesticks, the gilt lustres, and the glass chandeliers, whatever 
might be their keeping as to propriety and taste, were admirably 
kept as to all the purposes of use and comfort. They were 
clean and glittering in the strong light of the apartment. Com- 
pared with the chill aspect of the December night without, the 
warmth and brilliancy of the apartment produced an effect that 
was not unlike enchantment. Her eye had not time to detect 
in detail, the little errors, which, in truth, existed, but was 
glancing around her in delight, when an object arrested her view, 
that was in strong contrast to the smiling faces and neatly 
attired personages who had thus assembled to do honor to 
the heiress of Templeton. 

In a corner of the hall near the grand entrance, stood the 
young hunter, unnoticed, and for the moment apparently for- 
gotten. But even the forgetfulness of the Judge, which, under 
the influence of strong emotion, had banished the recollection of 
the wound of this stranger, seemed surpassed by the absence of 
mind in the youth himself. On entering the apartment he had 
mechanically lifted his cap, and exposed a head covered with 
hair that rivalled in color and gloss, the locks of Elizabeth. 
Nothing could have wrought a greater transformation than the 
single act of removing the rough fox-skin cap. If there was 
much that was prepossessing in the countenance of the young 
hunter, there was something even noble in the rounded outlines 
of his head and brow. The very air and manner with which 
the member haughtily maintained itself over the coarse and 
even wild attire in which the rest of his frame was clad, bespoke 
not only familiarity with a splendor that in those new settle- 
ments was thought to be unequalled, but something very like 
contempt also. 

The hand that held the cap rested lightly on the little ivory- 
mounted piano of Elizabeth, with neither rustic restraint nor 
obtrusive vulgarity. A single finger touched the instrument, as 


THE PIONEERS. 


71 


if accustomed to dwell on such places. His other arm was 
extended to its utmost length, and the hand grasped the barrel 
of his long rifle with something like convulsive energy. The 
act and the attitude were both involuntary, and evidently pro- 
ceeded from a feeling much deeper than that of vulgar surprise. 
His appearance, connected as it was with the rough exterior of 
his dress, rendered him entirely distinct from the busy group 
that were moving across the other end of the long hall, occupied 
in receiving the travellers, and exchanging their welcomes ; 
and Elizabeth continued to gaze at him in wonder. The con- 
traction of the stranger’s brows increased as his eyes moved 
slowly from one object to another. For moments the expression 
of his countenance was fierce, and then again it seemed to pass 
away in some painful emotion. The arm that was extended 
bent, and brought the hand nigh to his face, when his head 
dropped upon it, and concealed the wonderfully speaking linea- 
ments. 

“We forget, dear sir, the strange gentleman ” (for her life 
Elizabeth could not call him otherwise), “ whom we have 
brought here for assistance, and to whom we owe every atten- 
tion.” 

All eyes were instantly turned in the direction of those of the 
speaker, and the youth rather proudly elevated his head again, 
while he answered — 

“ My wound is trifling, and I believe that Judge Temple sent 
for a physician the moment we arrived.” 

“ Certainly,” said Marmaduke ; “ I have not forgotten the 
object of thy visit, young man, nor the nature of my debt.” 

“ Oh !” exclaimed Richard, with something of a waggish leer, 
“ thou owest the lad for the venison, I suppose, that thou killed, 
cousin ’duke! Marmaduke! Marmaduke! That was a marvel- 
lous tale of thine about the buck i Here, young man, are two 
dollars for the deer, and Judge Temple can do no less than pay 
the doctor. I shall charge you nothing for my services, but you 
shall not fare the worse for that. Come, come, ’duke, don’t be 
down-hearted about it : if you missed the buck, you contrived 


1 2 


THE PIONEERS. 


to shoot this poor fellow through a pine tree. Now I own that 
you have beat me ; I never did such a thing in all my life.” 

“ And I hope never will,” returned the J udge, “ if you are to 
experience the uneasiness that I have suffered. But be of good 
cheer, my young friend, the injury must be small, as thou mo vest 
thy arm with apparent freedom.” 

“ Don’t make the matter worse, ’duke, by pretending to talk 
about surgery,” interrupted Mr. Jones, with a contemptuous wave 
of the hand ; “ it is a science that can only be learnt by practice. 
You know that my grandfather was a doctor, but you haven’t 
got a drop of medical blood in your veins. These -kind of 
things run in families. All my family by the father’s side had 
a knack at physic. There was my uncle that was killed at 
Brandywine, — he died as easy again as any other man in the 
regiment, just from knowing how to hold his breath naturally. 
Few men know how to breathe naturally.” 

“ I doubt not, Dickon,” returned the J udge, meeting the 
bright smile which, in spite of himself, stole over the stranger’s 
features, “ that thy family thoroughly understood the art of 
letting life slip through their fingers.” 

Richard heard him quite coolly, and putting a hand in either 
pocket of his surtout, so as to press forward the skirts, began to 
whistle a tune ; but the desire to reply overcame his philosophy, 
and with great heat he exclaimed — 

“You may affect to smile, Judge Temple, at hereditary 
virtues, if you please : but there is not a man on your Patent 
who don’t know better. Here, even this young man, who has 
never seen anything but bears, and deer, and woodchucks, knows 
better than to believe virtues are not transmitted in families. 
Don’t you, Friend?” 

“ I believe that vice is not,” said the stranger abruptly, — his 
eye glancing from the father to the daughter. 

“The squire is right, Judge,” observed Benjamin, with a 
knowing nod of his head towards Richard, that bespoke the 
cordiality between them. “ Now, in the old country, the king’s 
majesty touches for the evil, and that is a disorder that the 


THE PIONEERS. 


12 


greatest doctor in the fleet, or, for the matter of that, admiral either, 
can’t cure ; only the king’s majesty, or a man that’s been hanged. 
Yes, the squire is right ; for if so be that he wasn’t, how is it 
that the seventh son always is a doctor, whether he ships for the 
cock-pit or not ? Now, when we fell in with the mounsheers, 
under De Grasse, d’ye see, we had aboard of us a doctor ” 

“Very well, Benjamin,” interrupted Elizabeth, glancing her 
eyes from the hunter to Monsieur Le Quoi, who was most 
politely attending to what fell from each individual in succession, 
“ you shall tell me of that, and all your entertaining adventures 
together ; just now, a room must be prepared, in which the 
arm of this gentleman can be dressed.” 

“I will attend to that myself, cousin Elizabeth,” observed 
Richard, somewhat haughtily. “The young man shall not 
suffer because Marmaduke chooses to be a little obstinate. 
Follow me, my friend, and I will examine the hurt myself.” 

“ It will be well to wait for the physician,” said the hunter, 
coldly ; “ he cannot be distant.” 

Richard paused and looked at the speaker, a little astonished 
at the language, and a good deal appalled at the refusal. He 
construed the latter into an act of hostility, and placing his 
hands in the pockets again, he walked up to Mr. Grant, and 
putting his face close to the countenance of the divine, said in 
an under tone — 

“ Now, mark my words : — there will be a story among the 
settlers, that all our necks would have been broken but for that 
fellow — as if I did not know how to drive. Why, you might 
have turned the horses yourself, sir ; nothing was easier ; it was 
only pulling hard on the nigh rein, and touching the off flank 
of the leader. I hope, my dear sir, you are not at all hurt by 
the upset the lad gave us ?” 

The reply was interrupted by the entrance of the village 
physician. 


4 * 


74 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER VI. 

And about his shelves, 

A beggarly account of empty boxes, 

Green earthen pots, bladders, and musty seeds, 

Remnants of packthread, and old cakes of roses, 

Were thinly scattered to make up a show. 

Shakspejlre. 

Doctor Elnathan Todd, for such was the name of the man 
of physic, was commonly thought to be, among the settlers, a 
gentleman of great mental endowments ; and he was assuredly 
of rare personal proportions. In height he measured, without 
his shoes, exactly six feet and four inches. His hands, feet, and 
knees, corresponded in every respect with this formidable 
stature ; but every other part of his frame appeared to have 
been intended for a man several sizes smaller, if we except the 
length of the limbs. His shoulders were square, in one sense 
at least, being in a right line from one side to the other ; but 
they were so narrow, that the long dangling arms they sup- 
ported seemed to issue out of his back. His neck possessed, in 
an eminent degree, the property of length to which we have 
alluded, and it was topped by a small bullet-head that exhibit- 
ed, on one side, a bush of bristling brown hair, and on the 
other, a short, twinkling visage, that appeared to maintain a 
constant struggle with itself in order to look wise. He was the 
youngest son of a farmer in the western part of Massachusetts, 
who, being in somewhat easy circumstances, had allowed this 
boy to shoot up to the height we have mentioned, without the 
ordinary interruptions of field-labor, wood-chopping, and such 
other toils as were imposed on his brothers. Elnathan was 
indebted for this exemption from labor in some measure to his 
extraordinary growth, which, leaving him pale, inanimate, and 


THE PIONEERS. 


*75 


listless, induced his tender mother to pronounce him “ a sickly 
boy, and one that was not equal to work, but who might earn 
a living, comfortably enough, by taking to pleading law, or 
turning minister, or doctoring, or some such like easy calling.” 
Still there was great uncertainty which of these vocations the 
youth was best endowed to fill ; but, having no other employ- 
ment, the stripling was constantly lounging about the “ home- 
stead,” munching green apples, and hunting for sorrel ; when 
the same sagacious eye that had brought to light his latent 
talents, seized upon this circumstance, as a clue to his future 
path through the turmoils of the world. “ Elnathan was cut 
out for a doctor, she knew, for he was for ever digging for 
herbs, and tasting all kinds of things that grow’d about the lots. 
Then again he had a natural love for doctor-stuff, for when she 
had left the bilious pills out for her man, all nicely covered 
with maple sugar, just ready to take, Nathan had come in, and 
swallowed them, for all the world as if they were nothing, 
while Ichabod (her husband) could never get one down without 
making such desperate faces, that it was awful to look on.” 

This discovery decided the matter. Elnathan, then about fif- 
teen, was, much like a wild colt, caught and trimmed by 
clipping his bushy locks ; dressed in a suit of homespun, dyed 
in the butternut bark ; furnished with a “New Testament,” and 
a “ Webster’s Spelling Book,” and sent to school. As the boy 
was by nature quite shrewd enough, and had previously, at odd 
times, laid the foundations of reading, writing, and arithmetic, he 
was soon conspicuous in the school for his learning. The 
delighted mother had the gratification of hearing, from the lips 
of the master, that her son was a “ prodigious boy, and far above 
all his class.” He also thought that “ the youth had a natural 
love for doctoring, as he had known him frequently advise the 
smaller children against eating too much ; and once or twice, 
when the ignorant little things had persevered in opposition to 
Elnathan’s advice, he had known her son empty the school- 
baskets with his own mouth, to prevent the consequences.” 

Scon after this comfortable declaration from his schoolmaster, 


76 


THE PIONEERS. 


the lad was removed to the house of the village doctor, a 
gentleman whose early career had not been unlike that of our 
hero, where he was to be seen, sometimes watering a horse, at 
others watering medicines, blue, yellow, and red ; then again he 
might be noticed, lolling under an appletree, with Ruddiman’s 
Latin Grammar in his hand, and a corner of Denman’s Midwifery 
sticking out of a pocket ; for his instructor held it absurd to 
teach his pupil how to despatch a patient regularly from this 
world, before he knew how to bring him into it. 

This kind of life continued for a twelvemonth, when he suddenly 
appeared at meeting in a long coat (and well did it deserve the 
name !) of black homespun, with little bootees, bound with 
uncolored calf-skin, for the want of red morocco. 

Soon after he was seen shaving with a dull razor. Three or 
four months had scarce elapsed before several elderly ladies 
were observed hastening towards the house of a poor woman in 
the village, while others were running to and fro in great 
apparent distress. — One or two boys were mounted, bareback, 
on horses, and sent off at speed in various directions. Several 
indirect questions were put concerning the place where the 
physician was last seen ; but all would not do ; and at length 
Elnathan was seen issuing from his door with a very grave air, 
preceded by a little white-headed boy, out of breath, trotting 
before him. The following day the youth appeared in the 
street, as the highway was called, and the neighborhood was 
much edified by the additional gravity of his air. The same 
week he bought a new razor : and the succeeding Sunday he 
entered the meeting-house with a red silk handkerchief in his 
hand, and with an extremely demure countenance. In the 
evening he called upon a young woman of his own class in life, 
for there were no others to be found, and, when he was left alone 
with the fair, he was called for the first time in his life, Doctor 
Todd, by her prudent mother. The ice once broken in this 
manner, Elnathan was greeted from every mouth with his offi- 
cial appellation. 

Another year passed under the superintendence of the same 


THE PIONEERS. 


77 


master, during which the young physician had the credit of 
“riding with the old doctor,” although they were generally 
observed to travel different roads. At the end of that period, 
Dr. Todd attained his legal majority. He then took a jaunt to 
Boston to purchase medicines, and, as some intimated, to walk 
the hospital ; we know not how the latter might have been, but 
if true, he soon walked through it, for he returned within a fort- 
night, bringing with him a suspicious-looking box, that smelled 
powerfully of brimstone. 

The next Sunday he was married : and the following morn- 
ing he entered a one-horse sleigh with his bride, having before 
him the box we have mentioned, with another filled with home- 
made household linen, a paper covered trunk, with a red um- 
brella lashed to it, a pair of quite new saddle-bags, and a band- 
box. The next intelligence that his friends received of the 
bride, and bridegroom was, that the latter was “ settled in the 
new countries, and well to do as a doctor, in Templeton, in 
York state !” 

If a Templar would smile at the qualifications of Marmaduke 
to fill the judicial seat he occupied, we are certain that a gradu- 
ate of Leyden or Edinburgh would be extremely amused with 
this true narration of the servitude of Elnathan in the temple of 
JEscuIapius. But the same consolation was afforded to both 
the jurist and the leech ; for Dr. Todd was quite as much on a 
level with his compeers of the profession, in that country, as was 
Marmaduke with his brethren on the bench. 

Time and practice did wonders for the physician. He was 
naturally humane, but possessed of no small share of moral 
courage ; or, in other words, he was chary of the lives of his 
patients, and never tried uncertain experiments on such 
members of society as were considered useful ; but once or twice 
when a luckless vagrant had come under his care, he was a little 
addicted to trying the effects of every phial in his saddle-bags on 
the stranger’s constitution. Happily their number was small, 
and in most cases their natures innocent. By these means 
Elnathan had acquired a certain degree of knowledge in fevers 


18 


THE PIONEERS. 


and agues, and could talk with much judgment concerning 
intermittents, remittents, tertians, quotidians, &c. In certain 
cutaneous disorders very prevalent in new settlements, he was 
considered to be infallible; and there was no woman on the 
Patent, but would as soon think of becoming a mother without 
a husband as without the assistance of Dr. Todd. In short he 
was rearing, on this foundation of sand, a superstructure, 
cemented by practice, though composed of somewhat brittle 
materials. He however occasionally renewed his elementary 
studies, and, with the observation of a shrewd mind, was com- 
fortably applying his practice to his theory. 

In surgery, having the least experience, and it being a busi- 
ness that spoke directly to the senses, he was most apt to 
distrust his own powers : but he had applied oils to several 
burns, cut round the roots of sundry defective teeth, and sewed 
up the wounds of numberless wood-choppers, with considerable 
eclat, when an unfortunate jobber* suffered a fracture of his 
leg by the tree that he had been felling. It was on this 
occasion that our hero encountered the greatest trial his nerves 
and moral feeling had ever sustained. In the hour of need, 
however, he was not found wanting. — Most of the amputations 
in the new settlements, and they were quite frequent, were per- 
formed by some one practitioner, who possessing originally a 
reputation, was enabled by this circumstance to acquire an ex- 
perience that rendered him deserving of it ; and Elnathan had 
been present at one or two of these operations. But on the 
present occasion the man of practice was not to be obtained, 
and the duty fell, as a matter of course, to the share of Mr. 
Todd. He went to work with a kind of blind desperation, 
observing, at the same time, all the externals of decent gravity 
and great skill. The sufferer’s name was Milligan, and it was 
to this event that Richard alluded when he spoke of assisting the 
Doctor at an amputation — by holding the leg ! The limb was 
certainly cut off, and the patient survived the operation. It 
was, however, two years before poor Milligan ceased to complain, 


* People who clear land by the acre or job, are thus called. 


THE PIONEERS. 


79 


that they had buried the leg in so narrow a box, that it was 
straitened for room ; he could feel the pain shooting up from 
the inhumed fragment into the living members. Marmaduke 
suggested that the fault might lie in the arteries and nerves : 
but Richard, considering the amputation as part of his own 
handiwork, strongly repelled the insinuation, at the same time 
declaring, that he had often heard of men who could tell when 
it was about to rain, by the toes of amputated limbs. After 
two or three years, notwithstanding Milligan’s complaints gradu- 
ally diminished, the leg was dug up, and a larger box furnished, 
and from that hour no one had heard the sufferer utter another 
complaint on the subject. This gave the public great confidence 
in Dr. Todd, whose reputation was hourly increasing, and, luck- 
ily for his patients, his information also. 

Notwithstanding Dr. Todd’s practice, and his success with the 
leg, he was not a little appalled on entering the hall of the 
mansion-house. It was glaring with the light of day ; it looked 
so splendid and imposing, compared with the hastily built and 
scantily furnished apartments which he frequented in his ordi- 
nary practice, and contained so many well dressed persons and 
anxious faces, that his usually firm nerves were a good deal dis- 
composed. He had heard from the messenger who summoned 
him, that it was a gun-shot wound, and had come from his own 
home, wading through the snow, with his saddle-bags thrown 
over his arm, while separated arteries, penetrated lungs, and 
injured vitals, were whirling through his brain, as if he were 
stalking over a field of battle, instead of J udge Temple’s peacea- 
ble inclosure. 

The first object that met his eye, as he moved into the room, 
was Elizabeth in her riding-habit, richly laced with gold cord, 
her fine form bending towards him, and her face expressing 
deep anxiety in every one of its beautiful features. The 
enormous bony knees of the physician struck each other with a 
noise that was audible ; for in the absent state of his mind, he 
mistook her for a general officer, perforated with bullets, 
hastening from the field of battle to implore assistance. Tho 


80 


THE PIONEERS. 


delusion, however, was but momentary, and his eye glanced 
rapidly from the daughter to the earnest dignity of the father’s 
countenance : thence to the busy strut of Richard, who was 
cooling his impatience at the hunter’s indifference to his 
assistance, by pacing the hall and cracking his whip ; from him 
to the Frenchman, who had stood for several minutes unheeded 
with a chair for the lady ; thence to Major Hartmann, who was 
very coolly lighting a pipe three feet long by a candle in one of 
the chandeliers ; thence to Mr. Grant, who was turning over a 
manuscript with much earnestness at one of the lustres ; thence 
to Remarkable, who stood, with her arms demurely folded 
before her, surveying with a look of admiration and envy, the 
'dress and beauty of the young lady ; and from her to Ben- 
jamin, who with his feet standing wide apart, and his arms 
a-kimbo, was balancing his square little body, with the indiffer- 
ence of one who is accustomed to wounds and bloodshed. All 
of these seemed to be unhurt, and the operator began to breathe 
more freely ; but before he had time to take a second look, the 
Judge, advancing, shook him kindly by the hand, and spoke. 

“ Thou art welcome, my good sir, quite welcome, indeed ; 
here is a youth whom I have unfortunately wounded in shooting 
a deer this evening, and who requires some of thy assistance.” 

“ Shooting at a deer, ’duke,” interrupted Richard, — “ shooting 
at a deer. Who do you think can prescribe, unless he knows 
the truth of the case ? It is always so with some people ; they 
think a doctor can be deceived with the same impunity as 
another man.” f 

“ Shooting at a deer, truly,” returned the Judge, smiling, 
“ although it is by no means certain that I did not aid in destroy- 
ing the buck ; but the youth is injured by my hand, be that as 
it may ; and it is thy skill that must cure him, and my pocket 
shall amply reward thee for it.” 

“ Two ver good tings to depend on,” observed Monsieur Le 
Quoi, bowing politely, with a sweep of his head, to the Judge 
and the practitioner. 

u I thank you, Monsieur,” returned the Judge ; “ but we keep 


THE PIONEERS. 


81 


the young man in pain. Remarkable, thou wilt please to pro- 
vide linen for lint and bandages.” 

This remark caused a cessation of the compliments, and 
induced the physician to turn an inquiring eye in the direction 
of his patient. During the dialogue the young hunter had 
thrown aside his overcoat, and now stood clad in a plain suit of 
the common, light-colored homespun of the country, that was 
evidently but recently made. His hand was on the lapels of 
his coat, in the attitude of removing the garment, when he 
suddenly suspended the movement, and looked towards the 
commiserating Elizabeth, who was standing in an unchanged 
posture, too much absorbed with her anxious feelings to heed 
his actions. A slight color appeared on the brow of the youth. 

“ Possibly the sight of blood may alarm the lady ; I will 
retire to another room while the wound is dressing.” 

“By no means,” said Dr. Todd, who, having discovered that 
his patient was far from being a man of importance, felt much 
emboldened to perform the duty. “ The strong light of these 
candles is favorable to the operation, and it is seldom that we 
hard students enjoy good eye-sight.” 

While speaking, Elnathan placed a pair of large iron-rimmed 
spectacles on his face, where they dropped as it were by long 
practice, to the extremity of his slim pug nose ; and if they were 
of no service as assistants to his eyes, neither were they any 
impediment to his vision ; for his little grey organs were twink- 
ling above them, like two stars emerging from the envious cover 
of a cloud. The action was unheeded by all but Remarkable, 
wKb observed to Benjamin — 

“ Dr. Todd is a comely man to look on, and dispu’t pretty. 
How well he seems in spectacles ! I declare, they give a grand 
look to a body’s face. I have quite a great mind to try them 
myself.” 

The speech of the stranger recalled the recollection of Miss 
Temple, who started, as if from deep abstraction, and coloring 
excessively, she motioned to a young woman who served in the 
capacity of maid, and retired with an air of womanly reserve. 


82 


THE PIONEERS. 


The field was now left to the physicia#and his patient, while 
the different personages who remained gathered around the 
latter, with faces expressing the various degrees of interest that 
each one felt in his condition. Major Hartmann alone retained 
his seat, where he continued to throw out vast quantities of 
smoke, now rolling his eyes up to the ceiling, as if musing on the 
uncertainty of life, and now bending them on the wounded man, 
with an expression that bespoke some consciousness of his situ- 
ation. 

In the meantime Elnathan, to whom the sight of a gun-shot 
wound was a perfect novelty, commenced his preparations with 
a solemnity and care that were worthy of the occasion. An old 
shirt was procured by Benjamin, and placed in the hands of the 
other, who tore divers bandages from it, with an exactitude that 
marked both his own skill and the importance of the operation. 

When this preparatory measure was taken, Dr. Todd selected 
a piece of the shirt with great care, and handing it to Mr. Jones, 
without moving a muscle, said — 

“Here, Squire Jones, you are well acquainted with these 
things ; will you please to scrape the lint ? It should be fine 
and soft, you know, my dear sir ; and be cautious that no cotton 
gets in, or it may p’ison the wound. The shirt has been made 
with cotton thread, but you can easily pick it out.” 

Richard assumed the office, with a nod at his cousin, that 
said quite plainly — “ You see this fellow can’t get along without 
me and began to scrape the linen on his knee with great dili- 
gence. 

A table was now spread with phials, boxes of salve, and divers 
surgical instruments. As the latter appeared in succession, from 
a case of red morocco, their owner held up each implement to 
the strong light of the chandelier, near to which he stood, and 
examined it with the nicest care. A red silk handkerchief was 
frequently applied to the glittering steel, as if to remove from 
the polished surfaces the least impediment which might exist, to 
the most delicate operation. After the rather scantily furnished 
pocket-case which contained these instruments was exhausted. 


THE PIONEERS. 


83 


the physician turned to his saddle-hags, and produced various 
phials, filled with liquids of the most radiant colors. These 
were arranged in due order, by the side of the murderous saws, 
knives, and scissors, when Elnathan stretched his long body to 
its utmost elevation, placing his hand on the small of his back, 
as if for support, and looked about him to discover what effect 
this display of professional skill was likely to produce on the 
spectators. 

“ Upon my wort, toctor,” observed Major Hartmann, with a 
roguish roll of his little black eyes, but with every other feature 
of his face in a state of perfect rest, “ put you have a very 
pretty pocket-pook of tools tere, and your toctor-stuff glitters as 
if it was petter for ter eyes as for ter pelly.” 

Elnathan gave a hem — one that might have been equally 
taken for that kind of noise which cowards are said to make, in 
order to awaken their dormant courage, or for a natural effort 
to clear the throat; if for the latter, it was successful; for, 
turning his face to the veteran German, he said — 

“ Very true, Major Hartmann, very true, sir ; a prudent man 
will always strive to make his remedies agreeable to the eyes, 
though they may not altogether suit the stomach. It is no 
small part of our art, sir,” and he now spoke with the confi- 
dence of a man who understood his subject, “ to reconcile the 
•patient to what is for his own good, though at the same time it 
may be unpalatable.” 

“ Sartain ! Dr. Todd is right,” said Remarkable, “ and has 
Scripter for what he says. The bible tells us how things may 
be sweet to the mouth, and bitter to the inwards.” 

“ True, true,” interrupted the Judge, a little impatiently ; 
“ but here is a youth who needs no deception to lure him to his 
own benefit. I see, by his eye, that he fears nothing more than 
delay.” 

The stranger had, without assistance, bared his own shoulder, 
when the slight perforation produced by the passage of the 
buck-shot was plainly visible. The intense cold of the evening 
had stopped the bleeding, and Dr. Todd, casting a furtive 


84 


THE PIONEERS. 


glance at tlie wound, thought it by no means so formidable an 
affair as he had anticipated. Thus encouraged he approached 
his patient, and made some indication of an intention to trace 
the route that had been taken by the lead. 

Remarkable often found occasions, in after days, to recount 
the minutiae of that celebrated operation ; and when she arrived 
at this point she commonly proceeded as follows : — “ And then 
the Doctor tuck out of the pocket-book a long thing, like a 
knitting-needle, with a button fastened to the end on’t ; and 
then he pushed it into the wownd ; and then the young man 
looked awful ; and then I thought I should have swaned away 
— I felt in sitch a dispu’t taking ; and then the doctor had run 
it right through his shoulder, and shoved the bullet out on 
t’other side ; and so Dr. Todd cured the young man — of a ball 
that the Judge had shot into, him, for all the world, as easy as 
I could pick out a splinter with my darning-needle.” 

Such were the impressions of Remarkable on the subject ; 
and such doubtless were the opinions of most of those who felt 
it necessary to entertain a species of religious veneration for the 
skill of Elnathan ; but such was for from the truth. 

When the physician attempted to introduce the instrument 
described by Remarkable, he was repulsed by the stranger, with 
a good deal of decision, and some little contempt, in his manner. 

“ I. believe, sir,” he said, “ that a probe is not necessary ; the 
shot has missed the bone, and has passed directly through the 
arm to the opposite side, where it remains but skin-deep, and 
whence, I should think, it might be easily extracted.” 

“ The gentleman knows best,” said Dr. Todd, laying down 
the probe with the air of a man who had assumed it merely 
in compliance with forms ; and turning to Richard, he fingered 
the lint with the appearance of great care and foresight. 
“Admirably well scraped, Squire Jones! it is about the best 
lint I have ever seen. I want your assistance, my good sir, to 
hold the patient’s arm while I make an incision for the ball. 
Now, I rather guess there is not another gentleman present who 
could scrape the lint so well as Squire Jones.” 


THE PIONEERS. 


85 


“ Sucli things run in families,” observed Richard, rising with 
alacrity to render the desired assistance. “ My father, and my 
grandfather before him, were both celebrated for their know- 
ledge of surgery ; they were not, like Marmaduke, here, puffed 
up with an accidental thing, such as the time when he drew 
in the hip-joint of the man who was thrown from his horse : 
that was the fall before you came into the settlement, Doctor ; 
but they were men who were taught the thing regularly, spend- 
ing half their lives in learning those little niceties ; though for 
the matter of that, my grandfather was a college-bred physician, 
and the best in the colony, too — that is, in his neighborhood.” 

“ So it goes with the world, Squire,” cried Benjamin, “ if-so- 
be that a man wants to walk the quarter-deck with credit, d’ye 
see, and with regular built swabs on his shoulders, he mustn’t 
think to do it by getting in at the cabin-windows. There are 
two ways to get into a top, besides the lubber-holes. The true 
way to walk aft is to begin forrard ; tho’f it be only in a humble 
way, like myself, d’ye see, which was, from being only a hander 
of top-gallant-sails, and a stower of the flying-jib, to keeping the 
key of the Captain’s locker.” 

“ Benjamin speaks quite to the purpose,” continued Richard. 
“ I dare say that he has often seen shot extracted, in the differ- 
ent ships in which he has served ; suppose we get him to hold 
the basin ; he must be used to the sight of blood.” 

“ That he is, Squire, that he is,” interrupted the ci-devant 
steward ; “ many’s the good shot, round, double-headed, and 
grape, that I've seen the doctors at work on. For the matter of 
that, I was in a boat, alongside the ship, when they cut out the 
twelve-pound shot from the thigh of the Captain of the Foody- 
rong, one of Mounsheer Ler Quaw’s countrymen !” * 

“ A twelve-pound ball from the thigh of a human being 
exclaimed Mr. Grant, with great simplicity, dropping the sermon 


* It is possible that the reader may start at this declaration of Benjamin, but 
those who have lived in the new settlements of America, are too much accus- 
tomed to hear of these European exploits, to doubt it. 


8G 


THE PIONEERS. 


he was again reading, and raising his spectacles to the top of 
his forehead. 

“ A twelve-pounder !” echoed Benjamin, staring around him 
with much confidence ; “ a twelve-pounder ! ay ! a twenty-four 
pound shot can easily be taken from a man’s body, if-so-be a 
doctor only knows how. There’s Squire Jones, now, ask him, 
sir ; he reads all the books ; ask him if he never fell in with a 
page that keeps the reckoning of such things.” 

“ Certainly, more important operations than that have been 
performed,” observed Richard ; “ the Encyclopaedia mentions 
much more incredible circumstances than that, as, I dare say, 
you know, Doctor Todd.” 

“ Certainly, there are incredible tales told in the Encyclopae- 
dias,” returned Elnathan, “ though I cannot say that I have 
ever seen, myself, anything larger than a musket-bullet 
extracted.” 

During this discourse an incision had been made through the 
skin of the young hunter’s shoulder, and the lead was laid bare. 
Elnathan took a pair of glittering forceps, and was in the act of 
applying them to the wound, when a sudden motion of the 
patient caused the shot to fall out of itself. The long arm and 
broad hand of the operator were now of singular service ; for 
the latter expanded itself, and caught the lead, while at the 
same time, an extremely ambiguous motion was made by its 
brother, so as to leave it doubtful to the spectators how great 
was its agency in releasing the shot. Richard, however, put the 
matter at rest by exclaiming — 

“ Very neatly done, Doctor ! I have never seen a shot more 
neatly extracted; and, I dare say, Benjamin will say the 
same.” 

“ Why, considering,” returned Benjamin, “ I must say, that 
it was ship-shape, and Brister-fashion. — Now all that the Doctor 
has to do, is to clap a couple of plugs in the holes, and the lad 
will float in any gale that blows in these here hills.” 

“ I thank you, sir, for what you have done,” said the youth, 


THE PIONEERS. 


87 


with a little distance ; “ but here is a man who will take me 
under his care, and spare you all, gentlemen, any further trouble 
on my account.” 

The whole group turned their heads in surprise, and beheld, 
standing at one of the distant doors of the hall, the person of 
Indian John. 


88 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER VII. 

From Susquehanna’s utmost springs, 

Where savage tribes pursue their game, 

His blanket tied with yellow strings, 

The shepherd of the forest came. 

Freneau. 

Before the Europeans, or, to use a more significant term, 
the Christians, dispossessed the original owners of the soil, all 
that section of country, which contains the New England States, 
and those of the Middle, which lie east of the mountains, was 
occupied by two great nations of Indians, from whom had 
descended numberless tribes. But, as the original distinctions 
between these nations were marked by a difference in language, 
as well as by repeated and bloody wars, they never were known 
to amalgamate, until after the power and inroads of the whites 
had reduced some of the tribes to a state of dependence, that 
rendered not only their political, but, considering the wants and 
habits of a savage, their animal existence also, extremely preca- 
rious. 

These two great divisions consisted, on the one side, of the 
Five, or as they were afterwards called, the Six Nations, and 
their allies ; and, on the other, of the Lenni Lenape, or Dela- 
wares, with the numerous and powerful tribes that owned that 
nation as their Grandfather. The former were generally called, 
by the Anglo-Americans, Iroquois, or the Six Nations, and 
sometimes Mingoes. Their appellation, among their rivals, 
seems generally to have been the Mengwe, or Maqua. They 
consisted of the tribes, or, as their allies were fond of asserting, 
in order to raise their consequence, of the several nations of the 
Mohawks, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas ; 
who ranked, in the confederation, in the order in which they are 


T PI E PIONEERS. 


89 


named. The Tuscaroras were admitted to this union, near a 
century after its formation, and thus completed the number to 
six. 

Of the Lenni Lcnape, or as they were called by the whites, 
from the circumstance of their holding their great council-fire 
on the banks of that river, the Delaware nation, the principal 
tribes, besides that which bore the generic name, were, the 
Mahicanni, Mohicans, or Mohegans, and the Nanticokes, or Nen- 
tigoes. Of these, the latter held the country along the waters 
of the Chesapeake and the sea-shore ; while the Mohegans 
occupied the district between the Hudson and the ocean, includ- 
ing much of New England. Of course, these two tribes were 
the first who were dispossessed of their lands by the Europeans. 

The wars of a portion of the latter are celebrated among us, 
as the wars of King Philip ; but the peaceful policy of William 
Penn, or Miquon, as he was termed by the natives, effected its 
object with less difficulty, though not with less certainty. As 
the natives gradually disappeared from the country of the 
Mohegans, some scattering families sought a refuge around the 
council-fire of the mother tribe, or the Delawares. 

This people had been induced to suffer themselves to be called 
women , by their old enemies, the Mingoes, or Iroquois, after the 
latter, having in vain tried the effects of hostility, had recourse 
to artifice, in order to prevail over their rivals. According to 
this declaration, the Delawares were to cultivate the arts of 
peace, and to intrust their defence entirely to the men , or 
warlike tribes of the Six Nations. 

This state of things continued until the war of the revolution, 
when the Lenni Lenape formally asserted their independence, 
and fearlessly declared that they were again men. But in a 
government so peculiarly republican as the Indian polity, it was 
not at all times an easy task to restrain its members within 
the rules of the nation. Several fierce and renowned warriors 
of the Mohegans, finding the conflict with the whites to be in 
vain, sought a refuge with their Grandfather, and brought with 
them the feelings and principles that had so long distinguished 


90 


THE PIONEERS. 


them in their own tribe. These chieftains kept alive, in some 
measure, the martial spirit of the Delawares ; and would, 
at times, lead small parties against their ancient enemies, or 
such other foes as incurred their resentment. 

Among these warriors was one race particularly famous for 
their prowess, and for those qualities that render an Indian hero 
celebrated. But war, time, disease, and want, had conspired to 
thin their number; and the sole representative of this once 
renowned family now stood in the hall of Marmaduke Temple. 
He had for a long time been an associate of the white men, 
particularly in their wars ; and having been, at a season when 
his services were of importance, much noticed and flattered, he 
had turned Christian, and was baptized by the name of John. 
He had suffered severely in his family during the recent war, 
having had every soul to whom he was allied cut off by an 
inroad of the enemy ; and when the last, lingering remnant of 
his nation extinguished their fires, among the hills of the Dela- 
ware, he alone had remained, with a determination of laying 
his bones in that country, where his fathers had so long lived 
and governed. 

It was only, however, within a tew months, that he had 
appeared among the mountains that surrounded Templeton. 
To the hut of the old hunter he seemed peculiarly welcome ; 
and, as the habits of the “ Leather-stocking ” were so nearly 
assimilated to those of the savages, the conjunction of their 
interests excited no surprise. They resided in the same cabin, 
ate of the same food, and were chiefly occupied in the same 
pursuits. 

We have already mentioned the baptismal name of this 
ancient chief ; but in his conversation with Natty, held in the 
language of the Delawares, he was heard uniformly to call 
himself Chingachgook, which, interpreted, means the “ Great 
Snake.” This name he had acquired in youth, by his skill and 
prowess in war ; but when his brows began to wrinkle with 
time, and he stood alone, the last of his family, and his 
particular tribe, the few Delawares, who yet continued about the 


THE PIONEERS 


91 


head-waters of their river, gave him the mournful appellation 
of Mohegan. Perhaps there was something of deep feeling 
excited in the bosom of this inhabitant of the forest by the 
sound of a name that recalled the idea of his nation in ruins, 
for he seldom used it himself — never indeed, excepting on the 
most solemn occasions ; but the settlers had united, according 
to the Christian custom, his baptismal with his national name, 
and to them he was generally known as John Mohegan, or, 
more familiarly, as Indian John. 

From his long association with the white men, the habits of 
Mohegan were a mixture of the civilized and savage states, 
though there was certainly a strong preponderance in favor of 
the latter. In common with all his people, who dwelt within 
the influence of the Anglo-Americans, he had acquired new 
wants, and his dress was a mixture of his native and European 
fashions. Notwithstanding the intense cold without, his head 
was uncovered ; but a profusion of long, black, coarse hair 
concealed his forehead, his crown, and even hung about his 
cheeks, so as to convey the idea, to one who knew his present 
and former conditions, that he encouraged its abundance, as a 
willing veil, to hide the shame of a noble soul, mourning for 
glory once known. His forehead, when it could be seen, 
appeared lofty, broad, and noble. His nose was high, and of 
the kind called Roman, with nostrils that expanded, in his 
seventieth year, with the freedom that had distinguished them 
in youth. His mouth was large, but compressed, and 
possessing a great share of expression and character ; and, when 
opened, it discovered a perfect set of short, strong, and regular 
teeth. His chin was full, though not prominent ; and his face 
bore the infallible mark of his people, in its square, high 
cheek-bones. The eyes were not large, but their black orbs 
glittered in the rays of the candles, as he gazed intently down 
the hall, like two balls of fire. 

The instant that Mohegan observed himself to be noticed by 
the group around the young stranger, he dropped the blanket, 
which covered the upper part of his frame, from his shoulders, 


92 


THE PIONEERS. 


suffering it to fall over his leggins of untanned deer-skin, 
where it was retained by a belt of bark that confined it to his 
waist. 

As he walked slowly down the long hall, the dignified and 
deliberate tread of the Indian surprised the spectators. His 
shoulders, and body to his waist, were entirely bare, with the 
exception of a silver medallion of Washington, that was 
suspended from his neck by a thong of buck-skin, and rested 
on his high chest, amidst many scars. His shoulders were 
rather broad and full ; but the arms, though straight and 
graceful, wanted the muscular appearance that labor gives to a 
race of men. The medallion was the only ornament he wore, 
although enormous slits in the rim of either ear, which suffered 
the cartilages to fall two inches below the members, had 
evidently been used for the purposes of decoration in other 
days. In his hand he held a small basket of the asli-wood 
slips, colored in divers fantastical conceits, with red and black 
paints mingled with the white of the wood. 

As this child of the forest approached them, the whole party 
stood aside, and allowed him to confront the object of his visit. 
He did not speak, however, but stood fixing his glowing eyes 
on the shoulder of the young hunter, and then turning them 
intently on the countenance of the Judge. The latter was a 
good deal astonished at this unusual departure from the 
ordinarily subdued and quiet manner of the Indian ; but he 
extended his hand, and said — 

“Thou art welcome, John. This youth entertains a high 
opinion of thy skill, it seems, for he prefers thee to dress his 
wound even to our good friend, Dr. Todd.” 

Mohegan now spoke, in tolerable English, but in a low, 
monotonous, guttural tone : — 

“ The children of Miquon do not love the sight of blood ; 
and yet the Young Eagle has been struck by the hand that 
should do no evil !” 

“ Mohegan ! old John !” exclaimed the Judge, “ thinkest thou 
that my hand has ever drawn human blood willingly ? For 


THE PIONEERS. 


93 


shame ! for shame, old John ! thy religion should have taught 
thee better.” 

“ The evil spirit sometimes lives in the best heart,” returned 
John, “ but my brother speaks the truth; his hand has' never 
taken life, when awake ; no ! not even when the children of 
the great English Father were making the waters red with the 
blood of his people.” 

“ Surely, John,” said Mr. Grant, with much earnestness, 
“you remember the divine command of our Saviour, ‘Judge 
not, lest ye be judged.’ What motive could Judge Temple 
have for injuring a youth like this ; one to • whom he is 
unknown, and from whom lie can receive neither injury nor 
favor !” 

John listened respectfully to the divine, and when he had 
concluded, he stretched out his arm, and said with energy — 

“ He is innocent — my brother has not done this.” 

Marmaduke received the offered hand of the other with a 
smile, that showed, however he might be astonished at his 
suspicion, he had ceased to resent it ; while the wounded youth 
stood, gazing from his red friend to his host, with interest 
powerfully delineated in his countenance. No sooner was this 
act of pacification exchanged, than John proceeded to discharge 
the duty on which he had come. Dr. Todd was far from 
manifesting any displeasure at this invasion of his rights, but 
made way for the new leech, with an air that expressed a 
willingness to gratify the humors of his patient, now that 
the all-important part of the business was so successfully 
performed, and nothing remained to be done but what any 
child might effect. Indeed, he whispered as much to Monsieur 
Le Quoi, when he said — 

“ It was fortunate that the ball was extracted before this 
Indian came in ; but any old woman can dress the wound. 
The young man, I hear, lives with John and Natty Bumppo, 
and it’s always best to humor a patient, when it can be done 
discreetly — I say, discreetly, Monsieur.” 

“ Certainement,” returned the Frenchman; ‘you seem ver 


THE PIONEERS. 


94 

happy, mister T.odd, in your pratique. I tink the elder lady 
might ver well finish vat you so skeelfully begin.” 

But Richard had, at the bottom, a great deal of veneration 
for the knowledge of Mohegan, especially in external wounds ; 
and retaining all his desire for a participation in glory, he 
advanced nigh the Indian, and said — 

“ Sago, sago, Mohegan ! sago, my good fellow ! I am glad 
you have come ; give me a regular physician, like Dr. Todd, to 
cut into flesh, and a native to heal the wound. Do you 
remember, John, the time when I and you set the bone of 
Natty Bumppo’s little finger, after he broke it by falling from 
the rock, when he was trying to get the partridge that fell on 
the cliffs. I never could tell yet, whether it was I or Natty 
who killed that bird : he fired first, and the bird stooped, and 
then it was rising again as I pulled trigger. 1 should have 
claimed it, for a certainty, but Natty said the hole was too big 
for shot, and he fired a single ball from his rifle ; but the piece 
I carried then didn’t scatter, and I have known it to bore a 
hole through a board, when I’ve been shooting at a mark, very 
much like rifle bullets. Shall I help you, John? You know I 
have a knack at these things.” 

Mohegan heard this disquisition quite patiently, and when 
Richard concluded, he held out the basket which contained his 
specifics, indicating, by a gesture, that he might hold it. Mr. 
Jones was quite satisfied with this commission ; and, ever after, 
in speaking of the event, was used to say, that “ Doctor Todd 
and I cut out the bullet, and I and Indian John dressed the 
wound.” 

The patient was much more deserving of that epithet, while 
under the hands of Mohegan, than while suffering under the 
practice of the physician. Indeed, the Indian gave him but 
little opportunity for the exercise of a forbearing temper, as 
he had come prepared for the occasion. His dressings were 
soon applied, and consisted only of some pounded bark, 
moistened with a fluid that he had expressed from some of 
the simples of the woods. 


THE PIONEERS. 


05 


Among the native tribes of the forest, there were always two 
kinds of leeches to be met with. The one placed its whole 
dependence on the exercise of a supernatural power, and was 
held in greater veneration than their practice could at all 
justify ; but the other was really endowed with great skill in 
the ordinary complaints of the human body, and was more 
particularly, as Natty had intimated, “ curous in cuts and 
bruises.” 

While John and Richard were placing the dressings on the 
wound, Elnathan was acutely eyeing the contents of Mohegan’s 
basket, which Mr. Jones, in his physical ardor, had transferred 
to the Doctor, in order to hold, himself, one end of the 
bandages. Here he was soon enabled to detect sundry 
fragments of wood and bark, of which he, quite coolly, took 
possession, very possibly without any intention of speaking at 
all upon the subject ; but when he beheld the full blue eye of 
Marmaduke watching his movements, he whispered to the 
J udge — 

“It is not to be denied, Judge Temple, but what the savages 
are knowing in small matters of physic. They hand these 
things down in their traditions. Now in cancers and 
hydrophoby, they are quite ingenious. I will just take this 
bark home and analyse it ; for, though it can’t be worth 
sixpence to the young man’s shoulder, it may be good for the 
toothache, or rheumatism, or some of them complaints. A 
man should never be above learning, even if it be from* an 
Indian.” 

It was fortunate for Dr. Todd that his principles were so 
liberal, as, coupled with his practice, they were the means by 
which he acquired all his knowledge, and by which he was 
gradually qualifying himself for the duties of his profession. 
The process to which he subjected the specific, differed, however, 
greatly from the ordinary rules of chemistry ; for, instead, of 
separating, he afterwards united the component parts of 
Mohegan’s remedy, and thus was able to discover the tree 
whence the Indian had taken it. 


9(3 


THE PIONEERS. 


Some ten years after this event, when civilization and its 
refinements had crept,, or rather rushed, into the settlements 
among these wild hills, an affair of honor occurred, and 
Elnathan was seen to apply a salve to the wound received by 
one of the parties, which had the flavor that was peculiar to 
the tree, or root, that Mohegan had used. Ten years later 
still, when England and the United States were again engaged 
in war, and the hordes of the western parts of the state of 
New York were rushing to the field, Elnathan, presuming on 
the reputation obtained by these two operations, followed in the 
rear of a brigade of militia as its surgeon ? 

When Mohegan had applied the bark, he freely relinquished 
to Richard the needle and thread that were used in sewing the 
bandages, for these were implements of which the native but 
little understood the use ; and, stepping back, with decent 
gravity, awaited the completion of the business by the other. 

“Reach me the scissors,” said Mr. Jones, when he had 
finished, and finished for the second time, after tying the linen 
in every shape and form that it could be placed ; “ reach me 
the scissors, for here is a thread that must be cut off, or it 
might get under the dressings, and inflame the wound. See, 
John, I have put the lint I scraped between two layers of the 
linen ; for though the bark is certainly best for the flesh, yet 
the lint will serve to keep the cold air from the wound. If any 
lint will do it good, it is this lint ; I scraped it myself, and I 
will not turn my back at scraping lint to any man on the 

Patent. I ought to know how, if anybody ought, for my 

grandfather was a doctor, and my father had a natural turn that 
way.” 

“ Here, Squire, is the scissors,” said Remarkable, producing 
from beneath her petticoat of green moreen a pair of dull 

looking shears ; “ well, upon my say-so, you have sewed on the 

rags as well as a woman.” 

“ As well as a woman !” echoed Richard, with indignation ; 
“ what do women know of such matters ? and you are proof of 
the truth of what I say. Who ever saw such a pair of shears 


THE PIONEERS. 


97 


used about a wound ? Dr. Todd, I will thank you for the 
scissors from the case. Now, young man, I think you’ll do. 
The shot has been very neatly taken out, although perhaps, 
seeing I had a hand in it, 1 ought not to say so ; and the 
wound is admirably dressed. You will soon be well again ; 
though the jerk you gave my leaders must have a tendency to 
inflame the shoulder, yet you will do, you will do. You were 
rather flurried, I suppose, and not used to horses ; but I forgive 
the accident for the motive : — no doubt you had the best of 
motives ; — yes, now you will do.” 

“ Then, gentlemen,” said the wounded stranger, rising, and 
resuming his clothes, “ it will be unnecessary for me to trespass 
longer on your time and patience. There remains but one 
thing more to be settled, and that is, our respective rights to 
the deer, Judge Temple.” 

“ I acknowledge it to be thine,” said Marmaduke ; “ and 
much more deeply am I indebted to thee than for this piece of 
venison. But in the morning thou wilt call here, and we can 
adjust this, as well as more important matters. Elizabeth,” — 
for the young lady, being apprised that the wound was dressed, 
had re-entered the hall, — “thou wilt order a repast for this 
youth before we proceed to the church ; and Aggy will have a 
sleigh prepared, to convey him to his friend.” 

“ But, sir, I cannot go without a part of the deer,” returned 
the youth, seemingly struggling with his own feelings ; “ I have 
already told you that I needed the venison for myself.” 

“ Oh ! we will not be particular,” exclaimed Richard ; “ the 
Judge will pay you in the morning for the whole deer ; and 
Remarkable, give the lad all the animal excepting the saddle ; 
bo, £>n the whole, I think you may consider yourself as a very 
lucky young man; — you have been shot without being dis- 
abled ; have had the wound dressed in the best possible manner 
here in the woods, as well as it would have been done in the 
Philadelphia hospital, if not better ; have sold your deer at a 
high price, and yet can keep most of the carcase, with the skin 
in the bargain. ’Marky, tell Tom to give him the skin, too ; 

5 


98 


THE PIONEERS. 


and in the morning bring the skin to me, and I wi/1 give you 
half a dollar for it, or at least three and sixpence. I want just 
such a skin to cover the pillion that I am making for cousin 
Bess.” 

“ I thank you, sir, for your liberality, and, I trust, am also 
thankful for my escape,” returned the stranger ; “ but you 
reserve the very part of the animal that I wished for my own 
use. I must have the saddle myself.” 

“ Must !” echoed Richard ; “ must is harder to be swallowed 
than the horns of the buck.” 

“ Yes, must,” repeated the youth : when, turning his head 
proudly around him, as if to see who would dare to controvert 
his rights, he met the astonished gaze of Elizabeth, and 
proceeded more mildly — “that is, if a man is allowed the 
possession of that which his hand hath killed, and the law will 
protect him in the enjoyment of his own.” 

“ The law will do so,” said Judge Temple, with an air of 
mortification mingled with surprise. “ Benjamin, see that the 
whole deer is placed in the sleigh ; and have this youth 
conveyed to the hut of Leather-stocking. But, young man, thou 
hast a name, and I shall see you again, in order to compensate 
thee for the wrong I have done thee ?” 

“ I am called Edwards,” returned the hunter ; “ Oliver 
Edwards. I am easily to be seen, sir, for I live nigh by, and 
am not afraid to show my face, having never injured any 
man.” 

“ It is we who have injured you, sir,” said Elizabeth ; “ and 
the knowledge that you decline our assistance would give my 
father great pain. He would gladly see you in the morning.” 

The young hunter gazed at the fair speaker until his earnest 
look brought the blood to her temples ; when, recollecting 
himself, he bent his head, dropping his eyes to the carpet, and 
replied — 

“ In the morning, then, will I return, and see Judge Temple; 
and I will accept his offer of the sleigh, in token of amity.” 

“ Amity !” repeated Marmaduke ; “ there was no malice in 


the act that injured thee, young man ; there should be none in 
the feelings which it may engender.” 

“Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass 
against us,” observed Mr. Grant, “ is the language used by our 
Divine Master himself, and it should be the golden rule of us, 
his humble followers.” 

The stranger stood a moment, lost in thought, and then 
glancing his dark eyes rather wildly around the hall, he bowed 
low to the divine, and moved from the apartment, with an 
air that would not admit of detention. 

“ ’Tis strange that one so young should harbor such feelings 
of resentment,” said Marmaduke, when the door closed behind 
the stranger ; “ but while the pain is recent, and the sense of 
the injury so fresh, he must feel more strongly than in cooler 
moments. I doubt not we shall see him in the morning more 
tractable.” 

Elizabeth, to whom this speech was addressed, did not reply, 
but moved slowly up the hall, by herself, fixing her eyes on the 
little figure of the English ingrained carpet that covered the 
floor ; while, on the other hand, Richard gave a loud crack with 
his whip, as the stranger disappeared, and cried — 

“ Well, ’duke, you are your own master, but I would have 
tried law for the saddle, before I would have given it to the 
fellow. Do you not own the mountains as well as the valleys ? 
are not the woods your own ? what right has this chap, or the 
Leather-stocking, to shoot in your woods, without your permis- 
sion? Now, I have known a farmer in Pennsylvania order 
a sportsman off his farm with as little ceremony as I would 
order Benjamin to put a log in the stove. By the by, Ben- 
jamin, see how the thermometer stands Now, if a man has 
a right to do this on a farm of a hundred acres, what power 
must a landlord have who owns sixty thousand — aye, for the 
matter of that, including the late purchases, a hundred thou- 
sand ? There is Mohegan, to be sure, he may have some right, 
being a native ; but it’s little the poor fellow can do now with 
his rifle. How is this managed in France, Monsieur Le Quoi ? 


100 


THE PIONEERS. 


Do you let everybody run over your land in that country, helter- 
skelter, as they do here, shooting the game, so that a gentleman 
has but little or no chance with his gun ?” 

“ Bah ! diable, no, Meester Deeck,” replied the Frenchman ; 
“ we give, in France, no liberty, except to the ladi.” 

“ Yes, yes, to the women, I know,” said Richard, “ that is your 
Salick law. I read, sir, all kinds of books ; of France, as well as 
England ; of Greece, as well as Rome. But if I were in ’duke’s 
place, I would stick up advertisements to-morrow morning, for- 
bidding all persons to shoot, or trespass in any manner, on my 
woods. I could write such an advertisement myself, in an hour, 
as would put a stop to the thing at once.” 

“ Richart,” said Major Hartmann, very coolly knocking the 
ashes from his pipe into the spitting-box by his side, “now 
listen ; I have livet seventy-five years on ter Mohawk, and in ter 
woots. — You hat petter mettle as mit ter deyvel, as mit ter 
hunters. Tey live mit ter gun, and a rifle is petter as ter 
law.” 

“A’nt Marmaduke a Judge?” said Richard, indignantly. 
“ Where is the use of being a judge, or having a Judge, if there 
is no law ? Damn the fellow ! I have a great mind to sue 
him in the morning myself, before Squire Doolittle, for meddling 
with my leaders. I am not afraid of his rifle. I can shoot too. 
I have hit a dollar many a time at fifty rods .” 

“Thou hast missed more dollars than ever thou hast hit, 
Dickon,” exclaimed the cheerful voice of the Judge. — “ But we 
will now take our evening’s repast, which, I perceive by 
Remarkable’s physiognomy, is ready. Monsieur Le Quoi, Miss 
Temple has a hand at your service. Will you lead the way, 
my child ?” 

“ Ah ! ma chere Mam’selle, comme je suis enchante !” said 
the Frenchman. “II ne manque que les dames de faire un 
paradis de Templeton.” 

Mr. Grant and Mohegan continued in the hall, while the 
remainder of the party withdrew to an eating parlor, if we 
except Benjamin, who civilly remained, to close the rear after 


THE PIONEERS. 


101 


the clergyman, and to open the front door for the exit of the 
Indian. 

“John,” said the divine, when the figure of Judge Temple 
disappeared, the last of the group, “ to-morrow is the festival of 
the nativity of our blessed Redeemer, when the church has 
appointed prayers and thanksgivings to be offered up by her 
children, and when all are invited to partake of the mystical 
elements. As you have taken up the cross, and become a 
follower of good and an eschewer of evil, I trust I shall 
see you before the altar, with a contrite heart and a meek 
spirit.” 

“ John will come,” said the Indian, betraying no surprise ; 
though he did not understand all the terms used by the other. 

“ Yes,” continued Mr. Grant, laying his hand gently on the 
tawny shoulder of the aged chief, “ but it is not enough to be 
there in the body ; you must come in the spirit and in truth. 
The Redeemer died for all, for the poor Indian as well as for 
the white man. Heaven knows no difference in color ; nor 
must earth witness a separation of the church. It is good 
and profitable, John, to freshen the understanding, and support 
the wavering, by the observance of our holy festivals ; but all 
form is but stench in the nostrils of the Holy One, unless it be 
accompanied by a devout and humble spirit.” 

The Indian stepped back a little, and, raising his body to its 
utmost powers of erection, he stretched his right arm on high, 
and dropped his fore-finger downward, as if pointing from the 
heavens, then striking his other hand on his naked breast, he 
said, with energy — 

“ The eye of the Great Spirit can see from the clouds ; — the 
bosom of Mohegan is bare !” 

“It is well, John, and I hope you will receive profit and 
consolation from the performance of this duty. The Great Spirit 
overlooks none of his children ; and the man of the woods is as 
much an object of his care as he who dwells in a palace. I 
wish you a good night, and pray God to bless you.” 

The Indian bent his head, and they separated — the one to 


102 


THE PIONEERS. 


seek his hut, and the other to join the party at the supper- 
table. While Benjamin was opening the door for the passage 
of the chief, he cried, in a tone that was meant to be encourag- 
ing— 

“ The parson says the word that is true, John. If so be that 
they took count of the color of the skin in heaven, why they 
might refuse to muster on their books a Christian-born, like 
myself, just for the matter of a little tan, from cruising in warm 
latitudes ; though, for the matter of that, this damned nor- 
wester is enough to whiten the skin of a blackamore. Let the 
reef out of your blanket, man, or your red hide will hardly 
weather the night, without a touch from the frost.” 


THE PIONEERS. 


108 


CHAPTER YIII. 


For here the exile met from every clime, 

And spoke, in friendship, every distant tongue. Campbell. 


We have made our readers acquainted with some variety in 
character and nations, in introducing the most important per- 
sonages of this legend to their notice : but, in order to establish 
the fidelity of our narrative, we shall briefly attempt to explain 
the reason why we have been obliged to present so motley a 
dramatis personae. 

Europe, at the period of our tale, was in the commencement 
of that commotion which afterwards shook her political institu- 
tions to the centre. Louis the Sixteenth had been beheaded, 
and a nation once esteemed the most refined among the civi- 
lized people of the world, was changing its character, and 
substituting cruelty for mercy, and subtlety and ferocity for 
magnanimity and courage. Thousands of Frenchmen were 
compelled to seek protection in distant lands. Among the 
crowds who fled from France and her islands, to the United 
States of America, was the gentleman whom we have already 
mentioned as Monsieur Le Quoi. He had been recommended 
to the favor of Judge Temple, by the head of an eminent mer- 
cantile house in New York, with whom Marmaduke was in 
habits of intimacy, and accustomed to exchange good offices. 
At his first interview with the Frenchman, our Judge had dis- 
covered him to be a man of breeding, and one who had seen 
much more prosperous days in his own country. From certain 
hints that had escaped him, Monsieur Le Quoi was suspected 
of having been a West-India planter, great numbers of whom 
had fled from St Domingo and the other islands, and were now 


104 


THE PIONEERS. 


living in the Union, in a state of comparative poverty, and some 
in absolute want. The latter was not, however, the lot of 
Monsieur Le Quoi. He had but little, he acknowledged ; but 
that little was enough to furnish, in the language of the country, 
an assortment for a store. 

The knowledge of Marmaduke was eminently practical, and 
there was no part of a settler’s life with which he was not 
familiar. Under his direction, Monsieur Le Quoi made some 
purchases, consisting of a few cloths; some groceries, with a 
good deal of gunpowder and tobacco ; a quantity of iron ware, 
among which was a large proportion of Barlow’s jack-knives, 
potash-kettles, and spiders; a very formidable collection of 
crockery, of the coarsest quality and most uncouth forms ; 
together with every other common article that the art of man 
has devised for his wants, not forgetting the luxuries of looking- 
glasses and Jews’ harps. With this collection of valuables, 
Monsieur Le Quoi had stepped behind a counter, and, w 7 ith a 
wonderful pliability of temperament, had dropped into his 
assumed character as gracefully as he had ever moved in any 
other. The gentleness and suavity of his manners rendered him 
extremely popular ; besides this, the women soon discovered 
that he had a taste. His calicoes were the finest, or, in other 
words, the most showy, of any that were brought into the 
country; and it was impossible to look at -the prices asked for 
his goods by “ so pretty a spoken man.” Through these con- 
joint means, the affairs of Monsieur Le Quoi were again in a 
prosperous condition, and he was looked up to by the settlers as 
the second-best man on the “ Patent.” 

The term “ Patent,” which we have already used, and for 
which we may have further occasion, meant the district of 
country that had been originally granted to old Major Effing- 
ham by the “ king’s letters patent,” and w r hich had now become, 
by purchase under the act of confiscation, the property of Mar- 
maduke Temple. It was a term in common use throughout 
the new parts of the state ; and was usually annexed to the 
landlord’s name, as “ Temple’s or Effingham’s Patent.” 


THE PIONEERS. 


105 


Major Hartmann was the descendant of a man who, in com- 
pany with a number of his countrymen, had emigrated, with 
their families, from the banks of the Rhine to those of the 
Mohawk. This migration had occurred as far back as the 
reign of Queen Anne ; and their descendants were now living, 
in great peace and plenty, on the fertile borders of that beauti- 
ful stream. 

The Germans, or “ High Dutchers,” as they were called, to dis- 
tinguish them from the original or Low Dutch colonists, were a 
very peculiar people. They possessed all the gravity of the 
latter, without any of their phlegm ; and, like them, the “ High 
Dutchers ” were industrious, honest, and economical. 

Fritz, or Frederick Hartmann, was an epitome of all the vices 
and virtues, foibles and excellences, of his race. He was pas- 
sionate, though silent, obstinate, and a good deal suspicious of 
strangers ; of immovable courage, inflexible honesty, and unde- 
viating in his friendships. Indeed there was no change about 
him, unless it were from grave to gay. He was serious by 
months, and jolly by weeks. He had, early in their acquaint- 
ance, formed an attachment for Marmaduke Temple, who was 
the only man that could not speak High Dutch that ever 
gained his entire confidence. Four times in each year, at 
periods equidistant, he left his low stone dwelling, on the banks 
of the Mohawk, and travelled thirty miles, through the hills, to 
the door of the mansion-house in Templeton. Here he gene- 
rally stayed a week ; and was reputed to spend much of that 
time in riotous living, greatly countenanced by Mr. Richard 
Jones. But every one loved him, even to Remarkable Petti- 
bone, to whom he occasioned some additional trouble, he was 
so frank, so sincere, and, at times, so mirthful. He was now on 
his regular Christmas visit, and had not been in the village an 
hour when Richard summoned him to fill a seat in the sleigh, 
to meet the landlord and his daughter. 

Before explaining the character and situation of Mr. Grant, 
it will be necessary to recur to times far back in the brief history 
of the settlement. 


5 * 


106 


THE PIONEERS. 


There seems to be a tendency in human nature to endeavor 
to provide for the wants of this world, before our attention is 
turned to the business of the other. Religion was a quality 
but little cultivated amid the stumps of Temple’s Patent for the 
first few years of its settlement ; but, as most of its inhabitants 
were from the moral states of Connecticut and Massachusetts, 
when the wants of nature were satisfied, they began seriously 
to turn their attention to the introduction of those customs and 
observances which had been the principal care of their 
forefathers. There was certainly a great variety of opinions on 
the subject of grace and free-will among the tenantry of 
Marmaduke ; and, when we take into consideration the variety 
of the religious instruction which they received, it can easily be 
seen that it could not well be otherwise. 

Soon after the village had been formally laid out into the 
streets and blocks that resembled a city, a meeting of its 
inhabitants had been convened, to take into consideration the 
propriety of establishing an academy. This measure originated 
with Richard, who, in truth, was much disposed to have the 
institution designated a university, or at least a college. 
Meeting after meeting was held, for this purpose, year after 
year. The resolutions of these assemblages appeared in the 
most conspicuous columns of a little, blue-looking newspaper, 
that was already issued weekly from the garret of a dwelling- 
house in the village, and which the traveller might as often see 
stuck into the fissure of a stake, erected at the point where the 
footpath from the log-cabin of some settler entered the 
highway, as a post-office for an individual. Sometimes the 
stake supported a small box, and a whole neighborhood 
received a weekly supply for their literary wants, at this point, 
where the man who “ rides post ” regularly deposited a bundle 
of the precious commodity. To these flourishing resolutions, 
which briefly recounted the general utility of education, the 
political and geographical rights of the village of Templeton to 
a participation in the favors of the regents of the university, 
the salubrity of the air, and wholesomeness of the water, 


THE PIONEERS. 


107 

together with the cheapness of food and the superior state of 
morals in the neighborhood, were uniformly annexed, in large 
Roman capitals, the names of Marmaduke Temple as chairman, 
and Richard Jones as Secretary. 

Happily for the success of this undertaking, the regents were 
not accustomed to resist these appeals to their generosity, 
whenever there was the smallest prospect of a donation to 
second the request. Eventually Judge Temple concluded to 
bestow the necessary land, and to erect the required edifice at 
his own expense. The skill of Mr., or, as he was- now called, 
from the circumstance of having received the commission of a 
justice of the peace, Squire Doolittle, was again put in 
requisition ; and the science of Mr. Jones was once more 
resorted to. 

We shall not recount the different devices of the architects 
on the occasion ; nor would it be decorous so to do, seeing that 
there was a convocation of the society of the ancient and 
honorable fraternity “ of the Free and Accepted Masons,” at the 
head of whom was Richard, in the capacity of master, doubtless 
to approve or reject such of the plans as, in their wisdom, they 
deemed to be for the best. The knotty point was, however, 
soon decided; and, on the appointed day, the brotherhood 
marched in great state, displaying sundry banners and 
mysterious symbols, each man with a little mimic apron before 
him, from a most cunningly contrived apartment in the garret 
of the “ Bold Dragoon,” an inn kept by one Captain Hollister, 
to the site of the intended edifice. Here Richard laid the 
corner-stone, with suitable gravity, amidst an assemblage of 
more than half the men, and all the women, within ten miles 
of Templeton. 

In the course of the succeeding week there was another 
meeting of the people, not omitting swarms of the gentler sex, 
when the abilities of Hiram at the “ square rule” were put to 
the test of experiment. The frame fitted well ; and the 
skeleton of the fabric was reared without a single accident, if 
we except a few falls from horses while the laborers were 


108 


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returning home in the evening. From this time the work 
advanced with great rapidity, and in the course of the season 
the labor was completed ; the edifice standing, in all its beauty 
and proportions, the boast of the village, the study of young 
aspirants for architectural fame, and the admiration of every 
settler on the Patent. 

It was a long, narrow house of wood, painted white, and 
more than half windows ; and when the observer stood at the 
western side of the building, the edifice offered but a small 
obstacle to a full view of the rising sun. It was, in truth, but 
a very comfortless open place, through which the daylight 
shone with natural facility. On its front were divers ori aments 
in wood, designed by Richard, and executed by Hiram ; but a 
window in the centre of the second story, immediately over the 
door or grand entrance, and the “ steeple,” were the pride of 
the building. The former was, we believe, of the composite 
order ; for it included in its composition a multitude of 
ornaments, and a great variety of proportions. It consisted of 
an arched compartment in the centre, with a square and 
small division on either side, the whole encased in heavy 
frames, deeply and laboriously moulded in pine-wood, and 
lighted with a vast number of blurred and green-looking glass, 
of those dimensions which are commonly called “ eight by ten.” 
Blinds, that were intended to be painted green, kept the window 
in a state of preservation ; and probably might have contributed 
to the effect of the whole, had not the failure in the public 
funds, which seems always to be incidental to any undertaking 
of this kind, left them in the sombre coat of lead color with 
which they had been originally clothed. The “ steeple” was a 
little cupola, reared on the very centre of the roof, on four tall 
pillars of pine, that were fluted with a gouge, and loaded with 
mouldings. On the tops of the columns was reared a dome or 
cupola, resembling in shape an inverted tea-cup, without its 
bottom, from the centre of which projected a spire, or shaft of 
wood, transfixed with two iron rods, that bore on their ends the 
letters N. S. E. and W. in the same metal. The whole was 


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109 


surmounted by an imitation of one of the finny tribe, carved in 
wood by the hands of Richard, and painted what h.e called a 
“ scale-color.” This animal Mr. Jones affirmed to be an 
admirable resemblance of a great favorite of the epicures in 
that country, which bore the title of “ lake-fish and doubtless 
the assertion was true ; for, although intended to answer the 
purposes of a weathercock, the fish was observed invariably to 
look, with a longing eye, in the direction of the beautiful sheet 
of water that lay imbedded in the mountains of Templeton. 

For a short time after the charter of the regents was 
received, the trustees of this institution employed a graduate of 
one of the eastern colleges, to instruct such youth as aspired to 
knowledge, within the walls of the edifice which we have 
described. The upper part of the building was in one 
apartment, and was intended for gala-days and exhibitions ; and 
the lower contained two rooms, that were intended for the 
great divisions of education, viz. the Latin and the English 
scholars. The former were never very numerous ; though the 
sounds of “ nominative, pennaa , — genitive, penny ,” were soon 
heard to issue from the windows of the room, to the great 
delight and manifest edification of the passenger. 

Only one laborer in this temple of Minerva, however, was 
known to get so far as to attempt a translation of Virgil. He, 
indeed, appeared at the annual exhibition, to the prodigious 
exultation of all his relatives, a farmer’s family in the vicinity, 
and repeated the whole of the first eclogue from memory, 
observing the intonations of the dialogue with much judgment 
and effect. The sounds, as they proceeded from his mouth, of 

“ Titty-ree too patty-lee ree-coo-bans sub teg-mi-nee faa-gy 
Syl-ves-trem ten-oo-i moo-sam, med-i-taa-ris, aa-ve-ny” — 

were the last that had been heard in that building, as probably 
they were the first that had ever been heard, in the same 
language, there or anywhere else. By this time the trustees 
discovered that they had anticipated the age, and the instructor, 
or principal , was superseded by a master , who went on to 


110 


THE -PIONEERS. 


teach the more humble lesson of “ the more haste the worse 
speed,” in good, plain English. 

From this time, until the date of our incidents, the Academy 
was a common country school, and the great room of the 
building was sometimes used as a court-room, on extraordinary 
trials ; sometimes for conferences of the religious and the 
morally disposed, in the evening ; at others for a ball, in the 
afternoon, given under the auspices of Richard; and on 
Sundays, invariably, as a place of public worship. 

When an itinerant priest of the persuasion of the Methodists, 
Baptists, Universalists, or of the more numerous sect of the Pres- 
byterians, was accidentally in the neighborhood, he was ordinarily 
invited to officiate, and was commonly rewarded for his services 
by a collection in a hat, before the congregation separated. 
When no such regular minister offered, a kind of colloquial 
prayer or two was made by some of the more gifted members, 
and a sermon was usually read, from Sterne, by Mr. Richard 
Jones. 

The consequence of this desultory kind of priesthood was, as 
we have already intimated, a great diversity of opinion on the 
more abstruse points of faith. Each sect had its adherents, 
though neither was regularly organized and disciplined. Of 
the religious education of Marmaduke we have already written, 
nor was the doubtful character of his faith completely removed 
by his marriage. The mother of Elizabeth was an Episcopalian, 
as, indeed, was the mother of the Judge himself ; and the good 
taste of Marmaduke revolted at the familiar colloquies which the 
leaders of the conferences held with the Deity, in their nightly 
meetings. In form, he was certainly an Episcopalian, though not 
a sectary of that denomination. On the other hand, Richard was 
as rigid in the observance of the canons of his church as he was 
inflexible in his opinions. Indeed, he had once or twice essayed 
to introduce the Episcopal form of service, on the Sundays that 
the pulpit was vacant ; but Richard was a good deal addicted 
to carrying things to an excess, and then there was something 
so papal in his air, that the greater part of his hearers deserted 


THE PIONEERS. 


Ill 


him on the second Sabbath — on the third his only auditor was 
Ben Pump, who had all the obstinate and enlightened ortho- 
doxy of a high churchman. 

Before the war of the revolution, the English church was 
supported, in the colonies, with much interest, by some of its 
adherents in the mother country, and a few of the congregations 
were very amply endowed. But, for a season, after the inde- 
pendence of the States was established, this sect of Christians 
languished, for the want of the highest order of its priesthood. 
Pious and suitable divines were at length selected, and sent to 
the mother country, to receive that authority, which, it is under- 
stood, can only be transmitted directly from one to the other, 
and thus obtain, in order to preserve, that unity in their 
churches, which properly belonged to a people of the same 
nation. But unexpected difficulties presented themselves, in the 
oaths with which the policy of England had fettered their 
establishment ; and much time was spent before a conscientious 
sense of duty would permit the prelates of Britain to delegate 
the authority so earnestly sought. Time, patience, and zeal, 
however, removed every impediment ; and the venerable men, 
who had been set apart by the American churches, at length 
returned to their expecting dioceses, endowed with the most 
elevated functions of their earthly church. Priests and deacons 
were ordained; and missionaries provided, to keep alive the 
expiring flame of devotion in such members as were deprived 
of the ordinary administrations, by dwelling in new and unor- 
ganized districts. 

Of this number was Mr. Grant. He had been sent into the 
county of which Templeton was the capital, and had been kindly 
invited by Marmaduke, and officiously pressed by Bichard, to 
take up his abode in the village. A small and humble dwelling 
was prepared for his family, and the divine had made his 
appearance in the place but a few days previously to the time of 
his introduction to the reader. As his forms were entirely new 
to most of the inhabitants, and a clergyman of another denomi- 
nation had previously occupied the field, by engaging the 


112 


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academy, the first Sunday after his arrival was suffered to pass 
in silence ; but now that his rival had passed on, like a meteor, 
filling the air with the light of his wisdom, Richard was empow- 
ered to give notice that “ Public worship, after the forms of the 
Protestant Episcopal Church, would be held on the night before 
Christmas, in the long room of the academy in Templeton, by 
the Rev. Mr. Grant.” 

This annunciation excited great commotion among the differ- 
ent sectaries. Some wondered as to the nature of the exhibi- 
tion ; others sneered ; but a far greater part, recollecting the 
essays of Richard in that way, and mindful of the liberality, or 
rather laxity of Marmaduke’s notions on the subject of sectarian- 
ism, thought it most prudent to be silent. 

The expected evening was, however, the wonder of the hour ; 
nor was the curiosity at all diminished, when Richard and 
Benjamin, on the morning of the eventful day, were seen to 
issue from the woods in the neighborhood of the village, each 
bearing on his shoulders a large bunch of evergreens. This 
worthy pair was observed to enter the academy, and carefully 
to fasten the door, after which their proceedings remained a 
profound secret to the rest of the village ; Mr. Jones, before he 
commenced this mysterious business, having informed the 
schoolmaster, to the great delight of the white-headed flock he 
governed, that there could be no school that day. Marmaduke 
was apprised of all these preparations, by letter, and it was 
especially arranged, that he and Elizabeth should arrive in 
season, to participate in the solemnities of the evening. 

After this digression, we shall return to our narrative. 


THE PIONEERS. 


113 


CHAPTER IX. 

Now all admire, in each high-flavored dish, 

The capabilities of flesh— fowl— fish ; 

In order due each guest assumes his station, 

Throbs high his breast with fond anticipation, 

And prelibates the joys of mastication. 

Helxogabaliad. 


The apartment to which Monsieur Le Quoi handed Elizabeth, 
communicated with the hall, through the door that led under 
the urn which was supposed to contain the ashes of Dido. The 
room was spacious, and of very just proportions ; but in its 
ornaments and furniture, the same diversity of taste, and imper- 
fection of execution, were to be observed, as existed in the hall. 
Of furniture, there were a dozen green, wooden arm-chairs, with 
cushions of moreen, taken from the same piece as the petticoat 
of Remarkable. The tables were spread, and their materials 
and workmanship could not be seen ; but they were heavy, and 
of great size. An enormous mirror, in a gilt frame, hung 
against the wall, and a cheerful fire, of the hard or sugar-maple, 
was burning on the hearth. The latter was the first object 
that struck the attention of the Judge, who, on beholding it, 
exclaimed, rather angrily, to Richard — 

“ How often have I forbidden the use of the sugar-maple in 
my dwelling ! The sight of that sap, as it exudes with the heat, 
is painful to me, Richard. Really, it behoves the owner of 
woods so extensive as mine, to be cautious what example he 
sets his people, who are already felling the forests, as if no end 
could be found to their treasures, nor any limits to their extent. 
If we go on in this way, twenty years hence we shall want 
fuel.” 

“ Fuel in these hills, cousin ’duke !” exclaimed Richard, in 


114 


THE PIONEERS. 


derision — “ fuel ! why, you might as well predict, that the fish 
will die, for the want of water in the lake, because I intend, 
when the frost gets out of the ground, to lead one or two of the 
springs, through logs, into the village. But you are always a 
little wild on such subjects, Marmaduke.” 

“Is it wildness,” returned the Judge, earnestly, “ to condemn 
a practice, which devotes these jewels of the forest, these pre- 
cious gifts of nature, these mines of comfort and wealth, to the 
common uses of a fire-place ? But I must, and will, the instant 
the snow is off the earth, send out a party into the mountains 
to explore for coal.” 

“ Coal !” echoed Richard ; “ who the devil do you think will 
dig for coal, when in hunting for a bushel he would have to rip 
up more roots of trees, than would keep him in fuel for a 
twelvemonth ? Poh ! poh ! Marmaduke, you should leave the 
management of these things to me, who have a natural turn 
that way. It was I that ordered this fire, and a noble one it is, 
to warm the blood of my pretty cousin Bess.” 

“ The motive, then, must be your apology, Dickon,” said the 
Judge. — “ But, gentlemen, we are waiting. Elizabeth, my 
child, take the head of the table ; Richard, I see, means to spare 
me the trouble of carving, by sitting opposite to you.” 

“ To be sure I do,” cried Richard ; “ here is a turkey to 
carve ; and I flatter myself that I understand carving a turkey, 
or, for that matter, a goose, as well as any man alive. Mr. 
Grant ! where’s Mr. Grant ? will you please to say grace, sir ? 
Everything is getting cold. Take a thing from the fire, this 
cold weather, and it will freeze in five minutes. Mr. Grant ! we 
want you to say grace. ‘ For what we are about to receive, the 
Lord make us thankful.’ Come, sit down, sit down. Do you 
eat wing or breast, cousin Bess ?” 

But Elizabeth had not taken her seat, nor was she in readi- 
ness to receive either the wing or breast. Her laughing eyes 
were glancing at the arrangements of the table, and the quality 
and selection of the food. The eyes of the father soon met the 
wondering looks of his daughter, and he said, with a smile — 


THE PIONEERS. 


115 


‘•You perceive, my child, how much we are indebted to 
Remarkable, for her skill in housewifery ; she has indeed 
provided a noble repast ; such as well might stop the cravings 
of hunger.” 

“ Law !” said Remarkable, “ I’m glad if the Judge is pleased ; 
but I’m notional that you’ll find the sa’ce overdone. I thought, 
as Elizabeth was coming home, that a body could do no less 
than make things agreeable.” 

“ My daughter has now grown to woman’s estate, and is 
from this moment mistress of my house,” said the Judge ; “ it 
is proper that all who live with me address her as Miss 
Temple.” 

“ Do tell !” exclaimed Remarkable, a little aghast ; “ well, 
who ever heerd of a young woman’s being called Miss ? If the 
Judge had a wife now, I shouldn’t think of calling her anything 
but Miss Temple ; but ” 

“ Having nothing but a daughter, you will observe that style 
to her, if you please, in future,” interrupted Marmaduke. 

As the Judge looked seriously displeased, and, at such 
moments, carried a particularly commanding air with him, the 
wary housekeeper made no reply ; and, Mr. Grant entering the 
room, the whole party were soon seated at the table. As the 
arrangements of this repast were much in the prevailing taste 
of that period and country, we shall endeavor to give a short 
description of the appearance of the banquet. 

The table-linen was of the most beautiful damask, and the 
plates and dishes of real china, an article of great luxury at this 
early period in American commerce. The knives and forks 
were of exquisitely polished steel, and were set in unclouded 
ivory. So much, being furnished by the wealth of Marmaduke, 
was not only comfortable, but even elegant. The contents of 
the several dishes, and their positions, however, were the result 
of the sole judgment of Remarkable. Before Elizabeth, was 
placed an enormous roasted turkey, and before Richard, one 
boiled. In the centre of the table, stood a pair of heavy silver 
castors, surrounded by four dishes ; one a fricassee, that con- 


no 


THE PIONEERS. 


sisted of grey squirrels ; another of fish fried ; a third of fish 
boiled ; the last was a venison steak. Between these dishes and 
the turkeys, stood, on the one side, a prodigious chine of roasted 
bear’s meat, and on the other a boiled leg of delicious mutton. 
Interspersed among this load of meats, was every species of 
vegetables that the season and country afforded. The four 
corners were garnished with plates of cake. On one was piled 
certain curiously twisted and complicated figures, called “nut- 
cakes.” On another were heaps of a black-looking substance, 
which, receiving its hue from molasses, was properly termed 
“ sweet-cake a wonderful favorite in the coterie of Remark- 
able. A third was filled, to use the language of the house- 
keeper, with “ cards of gingerbread and the last held a 
“ plum-cake,” so called from the number of large raisins that 
were showing their black heads, in a substance of a suspiciously 
similar color. At each corner of the table stood saucers, filled 
with a thick fluid, of somewhat equivocal color and consistence, 
variegated with small dark lumps of a substance that resembled 
nothing but itself, which Remarkable termed her “ sweetmeats.” 
At the side of each plate, which was placed bottom upwards, 
with its knife and fork most accurately crossed above it, stood 
another, of smaller size, containing a motley-looking pie, com- 
posed of triangular slices of apple, mince, pumpkin, cranberry, 
and custard , so arranged as to form an entire whole. Decan- 
ters of brandy, rum, gin, and wine, with sundry pitchers of 
cider, beer, and one hissing vessel of “ flip,” were put wherever 
an opening would admit of their introduction. Notwithstand- 
ing the size of the tables, there was scarcely a spot where the 
rich damask could be seen, so crowded were the dishes, with 
their associated bottles, plates, and saucers. The object seemed 
to be profusion, and it was obtained entirely at the expense of 
order and elegance. 

All the guests, as well as the Judge himself, seemed perfectly 
familiar with this description of fare, for each one commenced 
eating, with an appetite that promised to do great honor to 
Remarkable’s taste and skill. What rendered this attention to 


THE PIONEERS. 


117 


the repast a little surprising, was the fact, that both the German 
and Richard had been summoned from another table, to meet 
the Judge ; but Major Hartmann both ate and drank without 
any rule, when on his excursions; and Mr. Jones invariably 
made it a point to participate in the business in hand, let it be 
what it would. The host seemed to think some apology 
necessary for the warmth he had betrayed on the subject of the 
fire-wood, and when the party were comfortably seated, and 
engaged with their knives and forks, he observed — 

“ The wastefulness of the settlers, with the noble trees of this 
country, is shocking, Monsieur Le Quoi, as doubtless you have 
noticed. I have seen a man fell a pine, when he has been in 
want of fencing-stuff, and roll his first cuts into the gap, where 
he left it to rot, though its top would have made rails enough 
to answer his purpose, and its butt would have sold in the Phila- 
delphia market for twenty dollars.” 

“ And how the devil — I beg your pardon, Mr. Grant,” inter- 
rupted Richard ; “ but how is the poor devil to get his logs to 
the Philadelphia market, pray ? put them in his pocket, ha ! as 
you would a handful of chestnuts, or a bunch of chicker-berries ? 
I should like to see you walking up High Street, with a pine 
log in each pocket ! — Poh ! poh ! cousin ’duke, there are trees 
enough for us all, and some to spare. Why, I can hardly tell 
which way the wind blows, when I’m out in the clearings, they 
are so thick, and so tall ; — I couldn’t at all, if it wasn’t for the 
clouds, and I happen to know all the points of the compass, as 
it were, by heart.” 

“ Ay ! ay ! Squire,” cried Benjamin, who had now entered, 
and taken his place behind the Judge’s chair, a little aside 
withal, in order to be ready for any observation like the present; 
“look aloft, sir, look aloft. The old seamen say, ‘that the 
devil wouldn’t make a sailor, unless he look’d aloft.’ As for the 
compass, why, there is no such thing as steering without one. 
I’m sure I never lose sight of the main-top, as I call the Squire’s 
look-out on the roof, but I set my compass, d’ye see, and take 
the bearings and distance of things, in order to work out my 


118 


TIIE PIONEERS. 


course, if-so-be that it should cloud up, or the tops of the trees 
should shut out the light of heaven. The steeple of St. Paul’s, 
now that we have got it on end, is a great help to the naviga- 
tion of the woods, for, by the Lord Harry, as I was — ” 

“It is well, Benjimin,” interrupted Marmaduke, observing 
that his daughter manifested displeasure at the major-domo’s 
familiarity ; “ but you forget there is a lady in company, and 
the women love to do most of the talking themselves.” 

“The Judge says the true word,” cried Benjamin, with one 
of his discordant laughs : “Now here is Mistress Remarkable 
Pretty bones ; just take the stopper off her tongue, and you’ll 
hear a gabbling, worse like than if you should happen to fall to 
leeward in crossing a French privateer, or some such thing, 
mayhap, as a dozen monkeys stowed in one bag.” 

It were impossible to say how perfect an illustration of the 
truth of Benjamin’s assertion the housekeeper would have 
furnished, if she had dared ; but the Judge looked sternly at 
her, and, unwilling to incur his resentment, yet unable to con- 
tain her anger, she threw herself out of the room, with a toss of 
the body, that nearly separated her frail form in the centre. 

“Richard,” said Marmaduke, observing that his displeasure 
had produced the desired effect, “ can you inform me of any- 
thing concerning the youth whom I so unfortunately wounded ? 
I found him on the mountain, hunting in company with the 
Leather-stocking, as if they were of the same family ; but there 
is a manifest difference in their manners. The youth delivers 
himself in chosen language ; such as is seldom heard in these 
hills, and such as occasions great surprise to me, how one so 
meanly clad, and following so lowly a pursuit, could attain. 
Mohegan also knew him. Doubtless he is a tenant of Natty’s 
hut. Did you remark the language of the lad, Monsieur Le 
Quoi?” 

“ Certainement, Monsieur Tempi’,” returned the Frenchman, 
“ he deed conovairse in de excellent Anglaise.” 

“ The boy is no miracle,” exclaimed Richard ; “ I’ve known 
children that were sent to school early, talk much better, before 


THE PIONEERS. 


119 


they were twelve years old. There was Zared Coe, old Nehe- 
miah’s son, who first settled on the beaver-dam meadow, he 
could write almost as good a hand as myself, when he was four- 
teen ; though it’s true, I helped to teach him a little, in the 
evenings. But this shooting gentleman ought to be put in the 
stocks, if he ever takes a rein in his hand again. He is the 
most awkward fellow about a horse I ever met with. I dare 
say, he never drove anything but oxen in his life.” 

“ There I think, Dickon, you do the lad injustice,” said the 
J udge ; “ he uses much discretion in critical moments. Dost 
thou not think so, Bess ?” 

There was nothing in this question particularly to excite 
blushes, but Elizabeth started from the reverie into which she 
had fallen, and colored to her forehead, as she answered — 

“ To me, dear sir, he appeared extremely skilful, and prompt, 
and courageous ; but perhaps cousin Bichard will say, I am as 
ignorant as the gentleman himself.” 

“ Gentleman !” echoed Richard ; “ do you call such chaps 
gentlemen, at school, Elizabeth ?” 

“ Every man is a gentleman that knows how to treat a 
woman with respect and consideration,” returned the young 
lady, promptly, and a little smartly. 

“ So much for hesitating to appear before the heiress in his 
shirt sleeves,” cried Richard, winking at Monsieur Le Quoi, who 
returned the wink with one eye, while he rolled the other, with 
an expression of sympathy, towards the young lady. “ Well, 
well, to me he seemed anything but a gentleman. I must say, 
however, for the lad, that he draws a good trigger, and has a 
true aim. He’s good at shooting a buck, ha ! Marmaduke ?” 

“ Richart,” said Major Hartmann, turning his grave counte- 
nance towards the gentleman he addressed, with much earnest- 
ness, “ ter poy is goot. He savet your life, and my life, and ter 
life of Tominie Grant, and ter life of ter Frenchman ; and, 
Richart, he shall never vont a pet to sleep in vile olt Fritz Hart- 
mann has a shingle to cover his het mit.” 


] 20 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ Well, well, as you please, old gentleman,” returned Mr. 
Jones, endeavoring to look indifferent ; “ put him into your 
own stone house, if you will, Major. I dare say the lad never 
slept in anything better than a bark shanty in his life, unless it 
was some such hut as the cabin of Leather-stocking. I pro- 
phesy you will soon spoil him : any one could see how proud 
he grew, in a short time, just because he stood by my horses’ 
heads, while I turned them into the highway.” 

“ No, no, my old friend,” cried Marmaduke, “ it shall be my 
task to provide in some manner for the youth : I owe him a 
debt of my own, besides the service he has done me, through 
my friends. And yet I anticipate some little trouble, in induc- 
ing him to accept of my services. He showed a marked dis- 
like, I thought, Bess, to my offer of a residence within these 
walls for life.” 

“ Really, dear sir,” said Elizabeth, projecting her beautiful 
under-lip, “ I have not studied the gentleman so closely as to 
read his feelings in his countenance. I thought he might very 
naturally feel pain from his wound, and therefore pitied him ; 
but ” — and as she spoke she glanced her eye, with suppressed 
curiosity, towards the major-domo — “ I dare say, sir, that Ben- 
jamin can tell you something about him. He cannot have been 
in the village, and Benjamin not have seen him often.” 

“ Ay ! I have seen the boy before,” said Benjamin, who 
wanted little encouragement to speak ; “ he has been backing 
and filling in the wake of Natty Bumppo, through the moun- 
tains, after deer, like a Dutch long-boat in tow of an 
Albany sloop. He carries a good rifle, too. The Leather- 
stocking said, in my hearing, before Betty Hollister’s bar-room 
fire, no later than the Tuesday night, that the younker was 
certain death to the wild beasts. If-so-be he can kill the wild- 
cat that has been heard moaning on the lake side since the 
hard frosts and deep snows have driven the deer to herd, he 
will be doing the thing that is good. Your wild-cat is a bad 
ship-mate, and should be made to cruise out of the track of 
Christian men.” 


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121 


“ Lives he in the hut of Bumppo 8” asked Marmadake, with 
some interest. 

“ Cheek by jowl : the Wednesday will be three weeks since 
he first hove in sight, in company with Leather-stocking. They 
had captured a wolf between them, and had brought in his 
scalp for the bounty. That Mister Bump-ho has a handy turn 
v/ith him, in taking off a scalp ; and there’s them, in this here 
village, who say he larnt the trade by working on Christian 
men. If so-be that there is truth in the saying, and I com- 
manded along shore here, as your honor does, why, d’ye see, 
I’d bring him to the gangway for it, yet. There’s a very 
pretty post rigged alongside of the stocks ; and for the matter 
of a cat, I can fit one with my own hands ; ay ! and U6e it too, 
for the want of a better.” 

“ You are not to credit the idle tales you hear of Natty ; he 
has a kind of natural right to gain a livelihood in these moun- 
tains ; and if the idlers in the village take it into their heads to 
annoy him, as they sometimes do reputed rogues, they shall find 
him protected by the strong arm of the law.” 

“ Ter rifle is petter as ter law,” said the Major, sententiously 

“ That for his rifle !” exclaimed Richard, snapping his fingers ; 

“ Ben is right, and I ” He was stopped by the sounds of 

a common ship-bell, that had been elevated to the belfry of the 
academy, which now announced, by its incessant ringing, that 
the hour for the appointed service had arrived. “‘For this, and 
every other instance of his goodness ’ — I beg pardon, Mr. Grant, 
will you please to return thanks, sir ? it is time we should be 
moving, as we are the only Episcopalians in the neighborhood ; 
that is I, and Benjamin, and Elizabeth ; for I count half-breeds, 
like Marmaduke, as bad as heretics.” 

The Divine arose, and performed the office, meekly and 
fervently, and the whole party instantly prepared themselves foi 
the church — or rather academy. 

0 


122 


THE P I O N E E It S . 


CHAPTER X. 

“ And, calling sinful man to pray, 

Loud, long, and deep, the bell had tolled.” 

Scott’s Burgher. 

While Richard and Monsieur Le Quoi, attended by 
Benjamin, proceeded to the academy by a footpath through the 
snow, the Judge, his daughter, the Divine, and the Major, took 
a more circuitous route to the same place by the streets of the 
village. 

The moon had risen, and its orb was shedding a flood of light 
over the dark outline of pines which crowned the eastern 
mountain. In many climates the sky would have been thought 
clear and lucid for a noontide. The stars twinkled in the hea- 
vens, like the last glimmerings of distant fire, so much were they 
obscured by the overwhelming radiance of the atmosphere ; the 
rays from the moon striking upon the smooth white surfaces of 
the lake and fields, reflecting upwards a light that was 
brightened by the spotless color of the immense bodies of snow 
which covered the earth. 

Elizabeth employed herself with reading the signs, one of 
which appeared over almost every door ; while the sleigh moved 
steadily, and at an easy gait, along the principal street. Hot 
only new occupations, but names that were strangers to her ears, 
met her gaze at every step they proceeded. The very houses 
seemed changed. This had been altered by an addition ; that 
had been painted : another had been erected on the site of an 
old acquaintance, which had been banished from the earth 
almost as soon as it made its appearance on it. All were, 
however, pouring forth their inmates, who uniformly held their 
way towards the point where the expected exhibition of the 
conjoint taste of Richard and Benjamin was to be made. 


THE PIONEERS. 


123 


After viewing the buildings, which really appeared to some 
advantage, under the bright but mellow light of the moon, our 
heroine turned her eyes to a scrutiny of the different figures 
that they passed, in search of any form that she knew. But 
all seemed alike, as muffled in cloaks, hoods, coats, or tippets, 
they glided along the narrow passages in the snow which led 
under the houses, half hid by the bank that had been thrown 
up in excavating the deep path in which they trod. Once or 
twice she thought there was a stature or a gait that she 
recollected ; but the person who owned it instantly disappeared 
behind one of those enormous piles of wood that lay before 
most of the doors. It was only as they turned from the main 
street into another that intersected it at right angles, and 
which led directly to the place of meeting, that she recognised 
a face and building that she knew. . 

The house stood at one of the principal corners in the 
village ; and, by its well-trodden doorway, as well as the sign 
that was swinging with a kind of doleful sound in the blasts 
that occasionally swept down the lake, was clearly one of the 
most frequented inns in the place. The building was only of 
one story ; but the dormer windows in the roof, the paint, the 
window-shutters, and the cheerful fire that shone through the 
open door, gave it an air of comfort that was not possessed by 
many of its neighbors. The sign was suspended from a 
common ale-house post, and represented the figure of a 
horseman, armed with sabre and pistols, and surmounted by a 
bear-skin cap, with a fiery animal that he bestrode “ rampant.” 
All these particulars were easily to be seen by the aid of the 
moon, together with a row of somewhat illegible writing in 
black paint, but in which Elizabeth, to whom the whole was 
familiar, read with facility, “ The Bold Dragoon.” 

A man and a woman were issuing from the door of this 
habitation as the sleigh was passing. The former moved with 
a stiff*, military step, that was a good deal heightened by a 
limp in one leg ; but the woman advanced with a measure and 
an air that seemed not particularly regardful of what she might 


124 


THE PIONEERS. 


encounter. The light of the moon fell directly upon her full, 
broad, and red visage, exhibiting her masculine countenance, 
under the mockery of a ruffled cap that was intended to soften 
the lineaments of features that were by no means squeamish. 
A small bonnet of black silk, and of a slightly formal cut, was 
placed on the back of her head, but so as not to shade her 
visage in the least. Her face, as it encountered the rays of the 
moon from the east, seemed not unlike a sun rising in the west. 
She advanced, with masculine strides, to intercept the sleigh ; 
and the Judge, directing the namesake of the Grecian king, 
who held the lines, to check his horses, the parties were soon 
near to each other. 

“ Good luck to ye, and a wilcome home, Jooge !” cried the 
female, with a strong Irish accent ; “ and I’m sure it’s to me 
that ye’r always wilcome. Sure ! and there’s Miss ’Lizzy, and a 
fine young woman is she grown. What a heart-ach would 
she be giving the young men now, if there was sich a thing as 
a rigiment in the town ! Och ! but it’s idle to talk of sich 
vanities, while the bell is calling us to mateing, jist as we shall 
be call’d away unexpictedly, some day, when we are the laist 
calkilating. Good even, Major : will I make the bowl of gin 
toddy the night ? or it’s likely ye’ll stay at the big house the 
Christmas eve, and the very night of ye’r getting there ?” 

“ I am glad to see you, Mrs. Hollister,” returned Elizabeth. 
“ I have been trying to find a face that I knew, since we left 
the door of the mansion-house ; but none have I seen except 
your own. Your house, too, is unaltered ; while all the others 
are so changed, that, but for the places where they stand, they 
would be utter strangers. I observe you also keep the dear 
sign that I saw cousin Richard paint ; and even the name at 
the bottom, about which, you may remember, you had the 
disagreement.” 

“ It is the bould dragoon ye mane ? And what name would 
he have, who niver was known by any other, as my husband 
here, the Captain, can testify. He was a pleasure to wait upon, 
and was ever the foremost in need. Och ! but he had a sudden 


THE PIONEERS. 


125 


end ! But it’s to bo hoped that he was justified by the cause. 
And it’s not Parson Grant there who’ll gainsay that same. 
Yes, yes ; the Squire would paint, and so I thought that we 
might have his face up there, who had so often shared good 
and evil wid us. The eyes is no so large nor so fiery as the 
Captain’s own ; but the whiskers and the cap is as like as two 
paes. Well, well, I’ll not keep ye in the cowld, talking, but 
will drop in the morrow after sarvice, and ask ye how ye do. 
It’s our bounden duty to make the most of this present, and to 
go to the house which is open to all ; so God bless ye, and 
keep ye from evil ! Will I make the gin-twist the night, or 
no, Major?” 

To this question the German replied, very sententiously, in 
the affirmative ; and, after a few words had passed between the 
husband of this fiery-faced hostess and the Judge, the sleigh 
moved on. It soon reached the door of the academy, where 
the party alighted and entered the building. 

In the meantime, Mr. Jones and his two companions, having 
a much shorter distance to journey, had arrived before the 
appointed place several minutes sooner than the party in the 
sleigh. Instead of hastening into the room, in order to enjoy 
the astonishment of the settlers, Richard placed a hand in 
either pocket of his surtout, and affected to walk about, in 
front of the academy, like one to whom the ceremonies were 
familiar. 

The villagers proceeded uniformly into the building, with a 
decorum and gravity that nothing could move, on such 
occasions; but with a haste that was probably a little 
heightened by curiosity. Those who came in from the adjacent 
country, spent some little time in placing certain blue and 
white blankets over their horses before they proceeded to 
indulge their desire to view the interior of the house. Most 
of these men Richard approached, and inquired after the health 
and condition of their families. The readiness with which he 
mentioned the names of even the children, showed how very 
familiarly acquainted he was with their circumstances ; and the 


126 


THE PIONEERS. 


nature of the answers lie received, proved that he was a 
general favorite. 

At length one of the pedestrians from the village stopped 
also, and fixed an earnest gaze at a new brick edifice, that was 
throwing a long shadow across the fields of snow, as it rose, 
with a beautiful gradation of light and shade, under the rays 
of a full moon. In front of the academy was a vacant piece 
of ground, that was intended for a public square. On the 
side opposite to Mr. Jones, the new and as yet unfinished 
church of St. Paul’s was erected. This edifice had been 
reared during the preceding summer, by the aid of what was 
called a subscription ; though all, or nearly all, of the money 
came from the pocket of the landlord. It had been built 
under a strong conviction of the necessity of a more seemly 
place of worship than “ the long room of the academy,” and 
under an implied agreement that, after its completion, the 
question should be fairly put to the people, that they might 
decide to what denomination it should belong. Of course, this 
expectation kept alive a strong excitement in some few of the 
sectaries who were interested in its decision ; though but little 
was said openly on the subject. Had Judge Temple espoused 
the cause of any particular sect, the question would have been 
immediately put at rest, for his influence was too powerful to 
be opposed ; but he declined interference in the matter, 
positively refusing to lend even the weight of his name on the 
side of Richard, who had secretly given an assurance to his 
Diocesan, that both the building and the congregation would 
cheerfully come within the pale of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church. But when the neutrality of the Judge was clearly 
ascertained, Mr. Jones discovered that he had to contend with 
a stiff-necked people. His first measure was to go among them, 
and commence a course of reasoning, in order to bring them 
round to his own way of thinking. They all heard him 
patiently, and nctf, a man uttered a word in reply, in the way of 
argument : and Richard thought, by the time that he had gone 


THE PIONEERS. 


127 


through the settlement, the point was conclusively decided in 
his favor. Willing to strike while the iron was hot, he called 
a meeting, through the newspaper, with a view to decide the 
question by a vote, at once. Not a soul attended ; and one of 
the most anxious afternoons that he had ever known, was spent 
by Richard in a vain discussion with Mrs. Hollister, who 
strongly contended that the Methodist (her own) church was the 
best entitled to, and most deserving of, the possession of the 
new tabernacle. Richard now perceived that he had been too 
sanguine, and had fallen into the error of all those who 
ignorantly deal with that wary and sagacious people. He 
assumed a disguise himself — that is, as well as he knew how 
and proceeded step by step to advance his purpose. 

The task of erecting the building had been unanimously 
transferred to Mr. Jones and Hiram Doolittle. Together they 
had built the mansion-house, the academy, and the jail ; and 
they alone knew how to plan and rear such a structure as was 
now required. Early in the day, these architects had made an 
equitable division of their duties. To the former was assigned 
the duty of making all the plans, and to the latter, the labor of 
superintending the execution. 

Availing himself of this advantage, Richard silently deter- 
mined that the windows should have the Roman arch ; the first 
positive step in effecting his wishes. As the building was made 
of bricks, he was enabled to conceal his design, until the 
moment arrived for placing the frames : then, indeed, it became 
necessary to act. He communicated his wishes to Hiram with 
great caution ; and, without in the least adverting to the spirit- 
ual part of his project, he pressed the point a little warmly, on 
the score of architectural beauty. Hiram heard him patiently, 
and without contradiction; but still Richard was unable to 
discover the views of his coadjutor on this interesting subject. 
As the right to plan was duly delegated to Mr. Jones, no direct 
objection was made in words, but numberless unexpected diffi- 
culties arose in the execution. At first there was a scarcity in 


128 


THE PIONEERS. 


the right kind of material necessary to form the frames ; hut 
this objection was instantly silenced, by Richard running his 
pencil through two feet of their length at one stroke. Then the 
expense was mentioned ; but Richard reminded Hiram that his 
cousin paid, and that he was his treasurer. This last intimation 
had great weight, and after a silent and protracted, but fruitless 
opposition, the work was suffered to proceed on the original plan. 

The next difficulty occurred in the steeple, which Richard had 
modelled after one of the smaller of those spires that adorn the 
great London Cathedral. The imitation was somewhat lame, it 
is true, the proportions being but indifferently observed ; but, 
after much difficulty, Mr. Jones had the satisfaction of seeing 
an object reared that bore, in its outlines, a striking resemblance 
to a vinegar-cruet. There was less opposition to this model 
than to the windows ; for the settlers were fond of novelty, and 
their steeple was without a precedent. 

Here the labor ceased for the season, and the difficult ques- 
tion of the interior remained for further deliberation. Richard 
well knew, that when he came to propose a reading desk and a 
chancel, he must unmask ; for these were arrangements known 
to no church in the country but his own. Presuming, 
however, on the advantages he had already obtained, he boldly 
styled the building St. Paul’s, and Hiram prudently acquiesced 
in this appellation, making, however, the slight addition of 
calling it “ New St. Paul’s,” feeling less aversion to a name taken 
from the English Cathedral than from the saint. 

The pedestrian whom we have already mentioned, as pausing 
to contemplate this edifice, was no other than the gentleman so 
frequently named as Mr., or Squire, Doolittle. He was of a tall, 
gaunt formation, with rather sharp features, and a face that 
expressed formal propriety, mingled with low cunning. Richard 
approached him, followed by Monsieur Le Quoi and the major- 
domo. 

“ Good evening, Squire,” said Richard, bobbing his head, but 
without moving his hands from his pockets. 


THE PIONEERS. 


120 


“ Good evening, Squire,” echoed Hiram, turning his body, in 
order to turn his head also. 

“ A cold night, Mr. Doolittle, a cold night, sir.” 

“ Coolish ; a tedious spell on’t.” 

“ What, looking at our church, ha ! it looks well, by moon- 
light ; how the tin of the cupola glistens ! I warrant you the 
dome of the other St. Paul’s never shines so in the smoke of 
London.” 

“ It is a pretty meeting-house to look on,” returned Hiram, 
“ and I believe that Monshure Ler Quow and Mr. Penguilliam 
will allow it.” 

“ Sairtainlee !” exclaimed the complaisant' Frenchman, “it ees 
ver fine.” 

“ I thought the Monshure would say so. The last molasses 
that we had was excellent good. It isn’t likely that you have 
any more of it on hand ?” 

“ Ah ! oui ; ees, sair,” returned Monsieur Le Quoi, with a 
slight shrug of his shoulder, and a trifling grimace, “ dere is 
more. I feel ver happi dat you love eet. I hope dat Madame 
Doleet’ is in good ’ealth.” 

“ Why, so as to be stirring,” said Hiram — “ The Squire 
hasn’t finished the plans for the inside of the meeting-house 
yet V r 

“ No — no — no,” returned Richard, speaking quickly, but 
making a significant pause between each negative — “ it requires 
reflection. There is a great deal of room to fill up, and I am 
afraid we shall not know how to dispose of it to advantage. 
There will be a large vacant spot around the pulpit, which I do 
not mean to place against the wall, like a sentry-box stuck up 
on the side of a fort.” 

“ It is. ruleable to put the deacon’s box under the pulpit,” 
said Hiram ; and then, as if he had ventured too much, he 
added, “ but there’s different fashions in different countries.” 

“ That there is,” cried Benjamin ; “ now, in running down 
the coast of Spain and Portingall, you may see a nunnery stuck 
out on every headland, with more steeples and outriggers, such 
6 * 


130 


THE PIONEERS. 


as dog-vanes and weather-cocks, than you’ll find aboard of a 
three-masted schooner. If-so-be that a well-built church is 
wanting, Old England, after all, is the country to go to after 
your models and fashion pieces. As to Paul’s, thof I’ve never 
seen it, being that it’s a long way up town from Radcliffe-higli- 
way and the docks, yet everybody knows that it’s the grandest 
place in the world. Now, I’ve no opinion but this here church 
over there, is as like one end of it, as a grampus is to a whale ; 
and that’s only a small difference in bulk. Mounsheer Ler 
Quaw, here, has been in foreign parts ; and thof that is not the 
same as haying been at home, yet he must have seen churches 
in France too, and can form a small idee of what a church 
should be ; now, I ask the Mounsheer to his face, if it is not a 
clever little thing, taking it by and large ?” 

“ It ees ver apropos of saircumstance,” said the Frenchman — 
“ ver judgment — but it is in de catholique country dat dey build 
de — vat you call — ah a ah-ha — la grande cathedrale — de big 
church. St. Paul, Londre, is ver fine ; ver belle ; ver grand — 
vat you call beeg ; but, Monsieur Ben, pardonnez moi, it is no 
vort so much as Notre Dame.” 

“ Ha ! Mounsheer, what is that you say ?” cried Benjamin — 
“ St. Paul’s church not worth so much as a damn ! Mayhap 
you may be thinking too that the Royal Billy isn’t so good a 
ship as the Billy de Paris ; but she would have licked two of 
her, any day, and in all weathers.” 

As Benjamin had assumed a very threatening kind of atti- 
tude, flourishing an arm, with a bunch at the end of it that was 
half as big as Monsieur Le Quoi’s head, Richard thought it time 
to interpose his authority. 

“Hush, Benjamin, hush,” he said; “you both misunder- 
stand Monsieur Le Quoi, and forget yourself. — But here comes 
Mr. Grant, and the service will commence. Let us go in.” 

The Frenchman, who received Benjamin’s reply with a well- 
bred good humor, that would not admit of any feeling but pity 
for the other’s ignorance, bowed in acquiescence, and followed 
his companion. 


THE PIONEERS. 


131 


“ Hiram and the major-domo brought up the rear, the latter 
grumbling, as he entered the building — 

“ If-so-be that the King of France had so much as a house to 
live in, that would lay along side of Paul’s, one might put up 
with their jaw. It’s more than flesh and blood can bear, to 
hear a Frenchman run down an English church in this manner. 
Why, Squire Doolittle, I’ve been at the whipping of two of 
them in one day — clean built, snug frigates, with standing- 
royals, and them new-fashioned cannonades on their quarters — 
such as, if they had only Englishmen aboard of them, would 
have fout the devil.” 

With this ominous word in his mouth, Benjamin entered the 
church. 


132 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER XL 

And fools who came to scofl; remained to pray. Goldsmith. 

Notwithstanding the united labors of Richard and Benja- 
min, the “ long-room ” was but an extremely inartificial temple. 
Benches, made in the coarsest manner, and entirely with a view 
to usefulness, were arranged in rows, for the reception of the 
congregation ; while a rough, unpainted box, was placed 
against the wall, in the centre of the length of the apartment, 
as an apology for a pulpit. Something like a reading-desk 
was in front of this rostrum ; and a small mahogany table, from 
the mansion-house, covered with a spotless damask cloth, stood 
a little on one side, by the way of an altar. Branches of pines 
and hemlocks were stuck in each of the fissures that offered, in 
the unseasoned and hastily-completed wood-work, of both the 
building and its furniture ; while festoons and hieroglyphics met 
the eye in vast profusion along the brown sides of the scratch- 
coated walls. As the room was only lighted by some ten or 
fifteen miserable candles, and the windows were without 
shutters, it would have been but a dreary, cheerless place for 
the solemnities of a Christmas-eve, had not the large fire that 
was crackling af each end of the apartment, given an air of 
cheerfulness to the scene, by throwing an occasional glare of 
light through the vistas of bushes and faces. 

The two sexes were separated by an area in the centre of the 
room immediately before the pulpit ; and a few benches lined 
this space, that were occupied by the principal personages of 
the village and its vicinity. This distinction was rather a gra- 
tuitous concession, made by the poorer and less polished part of 
the population, than a right claimed by the favored few. One 


THE PIONEERS. 


133 


bench was occupied by the party of Judge Temple, including 
his daughter ; and, with the exception of Dr. Todd, no one else 
appeared willing to incur the imputation of pride, by taking a 
seat in what was, literally, the high place of the tabernacle. 

Richard filled the chair that was placed behind another table, 
in the capacity of clerk ; while Benjamin, after heaping sundry 
logs on the fire, posted himself nigh by, in reserve for any 
movement that might require co-operation. 

It would greatly exceed our limits to attempt a description 
of the congregation ; for the dresses were as various as the indi- 
viduals. Some one article, of more than usual finery, and per- 
haps the relic of other days, was to be seen about most of the 
females, in connexion with the coarse . attire of the woods. 
This wore a faded silk, that had gone through at least three 
generations, over coarse, woollen black stockings ; that, a shawl, 
whose dyes were as numerous as those of the rainbow, over an 
awkwardly fitting gown, of rough brown “ woman’s wear.” In 
short, each one exhibited some favorite article, and all appeared 
in their best, both men and women ; while the ground-works in 
dress, in either sex, were the coarse fabrics manufactured within 
their own dwellings. One man appeared in the dress of a 
volunteer company of artillery, of which he had been a member 
in the “down countries,” precisely for no other reason than 
because it was the best suit he had. Several, particularly of 
the younger men, displayed pantaloons of blue, edged with red 
cloth down the seams, part of the equipments of the “ Templeton 
Light Infantry,” from a little vanity to be seen in “ boughten 
clothes.” There was also one man in a “ rifle frock,” with its 
fringes and folds of spotless white, striking a chill to the heart 
with the idea of its coolness ; although the thick coat of brown 
“ home made,” that was concealed beneath, preserved a proper 
degree of warmth. 

There was a marked uniformity of expression in countenance, 
especially in that half of the congregation who did not enjoy the 
advantages of the polish of the village. A sallow skin, that 
indicated nothing but exposure, was common to all, as was an 


134 


THE PIONEERS. 


air of great decency and attention, mingled, generally, with an 
expression of shrewdness, and, in the present instance, of active 
curiosity. Now and then a face and dress were to be seen 
among the congregation, that differed entirely from this descrip- 
tion. If pock-marked and florid, with gaitered legs, and a coat 
that snugly fitted the person of the wearer, it was surely an 
English emigrant, who had bent his steps to this retired quarter 
of the globe. If hard-featured, and without color, with high 
cheek bones, it was a native of Scotland, in similar circumstances. 

The short, black-eyed man, with a cast of the swarthy Spa- 
niard in his face, who rose repeatedly, to make room for the 
belles of the village as they entered, was a son of Erin, who 
had lately left off his pack, and become a stationary trader in 
Templeton. In short, half the nations in the north of Europe 
had their representatives in this assembly, though all had closely 
assimilated themselves to the Americans in dress and appear- 
ance, except the Englishman. He, indeed, not only adhered 
to his native customs in attire and living, but usually drove 
his plough, among the stumps, in the same manner as he had 
before done on the plains of Norfolk, until dear-bought 
experience taught him the useful lesson, that a sagacious 
people knew what was suited to their circumstances better than 
a casual observer ; or a sojourner, who was, perhaps, too much 
prejudiced to compare, and, peradventure, too conceited to 
learn. 

Elizabeth soon discovered that she divided the attention of 
the congregation with Mr. Grant. Timidity, therefore, confined 
her observation of the appearances which we have described to 
stolen glances ; but, as the stamping of feet was now becoming 
less frequent, and even the coughing, and other little prelimina- 
ries of a congregation settling themselves down into reverential 
attention, were ceasing, she felt emboldened to look around her. 
Gradually all noises diminished, until the suppressed cough 
denoted that it was necessary to avoid singularity, and the most 
profound stillness pervaded the apartment. The snapping of 
the fires, as they threw a powerful heat into the room, was 


THE PIONEERS. 


135 


alone heard, and each face, and every eye, were turned on the 
divine. 

At this moment, a heavy stamping of feet was heard in the 
passage below, as if a new comer was releasing his limbs from 
the snow that was necessarily clinging to the legs of a pedestrian. 
It was succeeded by no audible tread ; but directly Mohegan, 
followed by the Leather-stocking and the young hunter, made 
his appearance. Their footsteps would not have been heard, as 
they trod the apartment in their moccasins, but for the silence 
which prevailed. 

The Indian moved with great gravity across the floor, and, 
observing a vacant seat next to the Judge, he took it, in a 
manner that manifested his sense of his own dignity. Here, 
drawing his blanket closely around him, so as partly to conceal 
his countenance, he remained, during the service, immovable, 
but deeply attentive. Natty passed the place that was so 
freely taken by his red companion, and seated himself on one 
end of a log that was lying near the fire, where he continued, 
with his rifle standing between his legs, absorbed in reflections, 
seemingly of no very pleasing nature. The youth found a seat 
among the congregation, and another silence prevailed. 

Mr. Grant now arose, and commenced his service, with the 
sublime declaration of the Hebrew prophet — “ The Lord is in 
his holy temple ; let all the earth keep silence before him.” 
The example of Mr. Jones was unnecessary to teach the con- 
gregation to rise ; the solemnity of the divine effected this as 
by magic. After a short pause, Mr. Grant proceeded with the 
solemn and winning exhortation of his service. Nothing was 
heard but the deep, though affectionate, tones of the reader, as 
he slowly went through this exordium ; until, something unfor- 
tunately striking the mind of Richard as incomplete, he left his 
place, and walked on tip-toe from the room. 

When the clergyman bent his knees in prayer and confession, 
the congregation so far imitated his example as to resume their 
seats ; whence no succeeding effort of the divine, during the 
evening, was able to remove them in a body. Some rose at 


136 


THE PIONEERS. 


times ; but by far the larger part continued unbending ; obser- 
vant, it is true, but it was the kind of observation that regarded 
the ceremony as a spectacle rather than a worship in which 
they were to participate. Thus deserted by his clerk, Mr. Grant 
continued to read ; but no response was audible. The short 
and solemn pause that succeeded each petition was made ; still 
no voice repeated the eloquent language of the prayer. 

The lips of Elizabeth moved, but they moved in vain ; and, 
accustomed as she was to the service in the churches of the 
metropolis, she was beginning to feel the awkwardness of the 
circumstance most painfully, when a soft, low, female voice 
repeated after the priest, “We have left undone those things 
which we ought to have done.” Startled at finding one of her 
own sex in that place, who could rise superior to natural timidity, 
Miss Temple turned her eyes in the direction of the penitent. 
She observed a young female on her knees, but a short distance 
from her, with her meek face humbly bent over her book. 

The appearance of this stranger, for such she was, entirely, to 
Elizabeth, was light and fragile. Her dress was neat and 
becoming; and her countenance, though pale and slightly 
agitated, excited deep interest by its sweet and melancholy 
expression. A second and third response were made by this 
juvenile assistant, when the manly sounds of a male voice pro- 
ceeded from the opposite part of the room. Miss Temple knew 
the tones of the young hunter instantly, and struggling to over- 
come her own diffidence, she added her low voice to the number. 

All this time Benjamin stood thumbing the leaves of a 
prayer-book with great industry ; but some unexpected difficul- 
ties prevented his finding the place. Before the divine reached 
the close of the confession, however, Richard reappeared at the 
door, and, as he moved lightly across the room, he took up the 
response, in a voice that betrayed no other concern than that of 
not being heard. In his hand he carried a small open box, with 
the figures “8 by 10” written in black paint on one of its 
sides ; which, having placed in the pulpit, apparently as a foot- 
stool for the divine, he returned to his station in time to say, 


THE PIONEERS. 


137 


sonorously, “ Amen.” The eyes of the congregation, very natu- 
rally, were turned to the windows, as Mr. Jones entered with 
this singular load ; and then, as if accustomed to his “ general 
agency,” were again bent on the priest, in close and curious 
attention. 

The long experience of Mr. Grant admirably qualified him to 
perform his present duty. lie well understood the character of 
his listeners, who were mostly a primitive people in their habits ; 
and who, being a good deal addicted to subtleties and nice 
distinctions in their religious opinions, viewed the introduction 
of any such temporal assistance as form, into their spiritual 
worship, not only with jealousy, but frequently with disgust. 
He had acquired much of his knowledge from studying the great 
book of human nature, as it lay open in the world ; and, know- 
ing how dangerous it was to contend with ignorance, uniformly 
endeavored to avoid dictating where his better reason taught 
him it was the most prudent to attempt to lead. His orthodoxy 
had no dependence on his cassock ; he could pray with fervor 
and with faith, if circumstances required it, without the assistance 
of his clerk ; and he had even been known to preach a most 
evangelical sermon, in the winning manner of native eloquence, 
without the aid of a cambric handkerchief. 

In the present instance he yielded, in many places, to the 
prejudices of his congregation ; and when he had ended, there 
there was not one of his new hearers who did not think the 
ceremonies less papal and offensive, and more conformant to his 
or her own notions of devout worship, than they had been led 
to expect from a service of forms. Kichard found in the divine, 
during the evening, a most powerful co-operator in his religious 
schemes. In preaching, Mr. Grant endeavored to steer a middle 
course between the mystical doctrines of those sublimated creeds 
which daily involve their professors in the most absurd contra- 
dictions, and those fluent rules of moral government, which 
would reduce the Saviour to a level with the teacher of a school 
of ethics. Doctrine it was necessary to preach, for nothing less 
would have satisfied the disputatious people who were his 


138 


THE PIONEERS. 


listeners, and who would have interpreted silence on his part, 
into a tacit acknowledgment of the superficial nature of his 
creed. We have already said that, among the endless variety 
of religious instructors, the settlers were accustomed to hear every 
denomination urge its own distinctive- precepts ; and to have 
found one indifferent to this interesting subject, would have been 
destructive to his influence. But Mr. Grant so happily blended 
the universally received opinions of the Christian faith with the 
dogmas of his own church, that, although none were entirely 
exempt from the influence of his reasons, very few took any 
alarm at the innovation. 

“ When we consider the great diversity of the human cha- 
racter, influenced as it is by education, by opportunity, and by 
the physical and moral conditions of the creature, my dear 
hearers,” he earnestly concluded, “ it can excite no surprise, that 
creeds so very different in their tendencies should grow out of a 
religion, revealed, it is true, but whose revelations are obscured 
by the lapse of ages, and whose doctrines were, after the fashion 
of the countries in which they were first promulgated, frequently 
delivered in parables, and in a language abounding in meta- 
phors, and loaded with figures. On points where the learned 
have, in purity of heart, been compelled to differ, the unlettered 
will necessarily be at variance. But, happily for us, my breth- 
ren, the fountain of divine love flows from a source too pure to 
admit of pollution in its course ; it extends, to those who drink 
of its vivifying waters, the peace of the righteous, and life ever- 
lasting ; it endures through all time, and it pervades creation. If 
there be mystery in its workings, it is the mystery of a Divinity. 
With a clear knowledge of the nature, the might, and majesty 
of God, there might be conviction, but there could be no faith. 
If we are required to believe in doctrines that seem not in con- 
formity with the deductions of human wisdom, let us never 
forget, that such is the mandate of a wisdom that is infinite. It 
is sufficient for us that enough is developed to point our path 
aright, and to direct our wandering steps to that portal which 
shall open on the light of an eternal day. Then, indeed, it may 


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139 


be humbly hoped that the film which has been spread by the 
subtleties of earthly arguments, will be dissipated by the spiritual 
light of Heaven ; and that our hour of probation, by the aid of 
divine grace, being once passed in triumph, will be followed by 
an eternity of intelligence, and endless ages of fruition. All 
that is now obscure shall become plain to our expanded faculties ; 
and what to our present senses may seem irreconcilable to our 
limited notions of mercy, of justice, and of love, shall stand, 
irradiated by the light of truth, confessedly the suggestions of 
Omniscience, and the acts of an All-powerful Benevolence. 

“ What a lesson of humility, my brethren, might not each of 
us obtain from a review of his infant hours, and the recollection 
of his juvenile passions ! How differently do the same acts of 
parental rigor appear, in the eyes of the suffering child, and of 
the chastened man ! When the sophist would supplant, with 
the wild theories of his worldly wisdom, the positive mandates 
of inspiration, let him remember the expansion of his own feeble 
intellects, and pause — let him feel the wisdom of God in what 
is partially concealed, as well as in that which is revealed ; — in 
short, let him substitute humility for pride of reason — let him 
have faith, and live ! 

“ The consideration of this subject is full of consolation, my 
hearers, and does not fail to bring with it lessons of humility and 
of profit, that, duly improved, would both chasten the heart and 
strengthen the feeble-minded man in his course. It is a blessed 
consolation to be able to lay the misdoubtings of our arrogant 
nature at the threshold of the dwelling-place of the Deity, from 
whence they shall be swept away, at the great opening of the 
portal, like the mists of the morning before the rising sun. It 
teaches us a lesson of humility, by impressing us with the 
imperfection of human powers, and by warning us of the many 
weak points where we are open to the attacks of the great 
enemy of our race ; it proves to us that we are in danger of 
being weak, when our vanity would fain soothe us into the 
belief that we are most strong ; it forcibly points out to us the 
vain-glory of intellect, and shows us the vast difference between 


140 


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a saving faith and the corollaries of a philosophical theology ; 
and it teaches us to reduce our self-examination to the test of 
good works. By good works must be understood the fruits of 
repentance, the chiefest of which is charity. Not that charity 
only, which causes us to help the needy and comfort the suffer- 
ing, but that feeling of universal philanthropy, which, by teach- 
ing us to love, causes us to judge with lenity, all men ; striking 
at the root of self-righteousness, and warning us to be sparing 
of our condemnation of others, while our own salvation is not 
yet secure. 

“ The lesson of expediency, my brethren, which I would 
gather from the consideration of this subject, is most strongly 
inculcated by humility. On the leading and essential points of 
our faith, there is but little difference, among those classes of 
Christians who acknowledge the attributes of the Saviour, and 
depend on his mediation. But heresies have polluted every 
church, and schisms are the fruits of disputation. In order to 
arrest these dangers, and to insure the union of his followers, 
it would seem that Christ had established his visible church, 
and delegated the ministry. Wise and holy men, the fathers of 
our religion, have expended their labors in clearing what was 
revealed from the obscurities of language, and the results of their 
experience and researches have been embodied in the form of 
evangelical discipline. That this discipline must be salutary, 
is evident from the view of the weakness of human nature that 
we have already taken ; and that it may be profitable to us, 
and all who listen to its precepts and its liturgy, may God, in 
his infinite wisdom, grant. — And now to,” <fec. 

With this ingenious reference to his own forms and ministry, 
Mr. Grant concluded the discourse. The most profound atten- 
tion had been paid to the sermon during the whole of its 
delivery, although the prayers had not been received with so 
perfect a demonstration of respect. This was by no means an 
. intended slight of that liturgy to which the divine alluded, but 
was the habit of a people, who owed their very existence, as a 
distinct nation, to the doctrinal character of their ancestors. 


THE PIONEERS. 


141 


Sundry looks of private dissatisfaction were exchanged between 
Hiram and one or two of the leading members of the conference , 
but the feeling went no further at that time ; and the congrega- 
tion, after receiving the blessing of Mr. Grant, dispersed in 
silence, and with great decorum 


CHAPTER XII. 


Your creeds and dogmas of a learned church 
May build a fabric, fair with moral beauty ; 

But it would seem, that the strong hand of God 
Can, onlv, ’rase the devil from the heart. 

Duo. 

While the congregation was separating, Mr. Grant approached 
the place where Elizabeth and her father were seated, leading 
the youthful female whom we have mentioned in the preced- 
ing chapter, and presented her as his daughter. Her reception 
was as cordial and frank as the manners of the country, and the 
value of good society, could render it ; the two young women 
feeling, instantly, that they were necessary to the comfort of 
each other. The Judge, to whom the clergyman’s daughter 
was also a stranger, was pleased to find one who, from habits, sex, 
and years, could probably contribute largely to the pleasures of 
his own child, during her first privations, on her removal from 
the associations of a city to the solitude of Templeton ; while 
Elizabeth, who had been forcibly struck with the sweetness and 
devotion of the youthful suppliant, removed the slight embar- 
rassment of the timid stranger, by the ease of her own manners. 
They were at once acquainted; and, during the ten minutes 
that the “academy” was clearing, engagements were made 
between the young people, not only for the succeeding day, but 
they would probably have embraced in their arrangements half 
of the winter, had not the divine interrupted them, by saying — 
“ Gently, gently, my dear Miss Temple, or you will make my 
girl too dissipated. You forget that she is my housekeeper, and 
that my domestic affairs must remain unattended to, should 
Louisa accept of half the kind offers you are so good as to make 
her.” 


THE PI O NEEKS. 


143 


“And why should they not be neglected entirely, sir?” 
interrupted Elizabeth. “ There are but two of you ; and certain 
I am that my father’s house will not only contain you both, but 
will open its doors spontaneously, to receive such guests. 
Society is a good, not to be rejected on account of cold forms, 
in this wilderness, sir ; and I have often heard my father say, 
that hospitality is not a virtue in a new country, the favor being 
conferred by the guest.” 

“ The manner in which Judge Temple exercises its rites 
would confirm this opinion; but we must not trespass too 
freely. Doubt not that you will see us often, my child parti- 
cularly, during the frequent visits that I shall be compelled to 
make to the distant parts of the couutry. But to obtain an 
influence with such a people,” he continued, glancing his eyes 
towards the few who were still lingering, curious observers of 
the interview, “ a clergyman must not awaken envy or distrust, 
by dwelling under so splendid a roof as that of Judge Temple.” 

“ You like the roof, then, Mr. Grant,” cried Richard, who had 
been directing the extinguishment of the fires, and other little 
necessary duties, and who approached in time to hear the close 
of the divine’s speech, — “ I am glad to find one man of taste at 
last. Here’s ’duke, now, pretends to call it by every abusive 
name he can invent ; but though ’duke is a very tolerable judge, 
he is a very poor carpenter, let me tell him. Well, sir, well, I 
think we may say, without boasting, that the service was as 
well performed this evening as you often see ; I think, quite as 
well as I ever knew it to be done in old Trinity, — that is, if we 
except the organ. But there is the schoolmaster leads the 
psalm with a very good air. I used to lead myself, but latterly 
I have sung nothing but bass. There is a good deal of science 
to be shown in the bass, and it affords a fine opportunity to 
show off a full, deep voice. Benjamin, too, sings a good bass, 
though he is often out in the words. Did you ever hear Ben- 
jamin sing the ‘ Bay of Biscay, O V ” 

“ I believe he gave us part of it this evening,” said Marma- 
duke, laughing. “ There was, now and then, a fearful quaver 


144 


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in liis voice, and it seems that Mr. Penguillian is like most 
others who do one thing particularly well ; he knows nothing 
else. He has, certainly, a wonderful partiality to one tune, and. 
he has a prodigious self-confidence in that one, for he delivers 
himself like a north-wester sweeping across the lake. But 
come, gentlemen, our way is clear, and the sleigh waits. — Good 
evening, Mr. Grant. Good night, young lady — remember 
that you dine beneath the Corinthian roof to-morrow, with 
Elizabeth.” 

The parties separated, Richard holding a close dissertation 
with Mr. Le Quoi, as they descended the stairs, on the subject 
of psalmody, which he closed by a violent eulogium on the air 
of the “Bay of Biscay, O,” as particularly connected with 
his friend Benjamin’s execution. 

During the preceding dialogue, Mohegan retained his seat, 
with his head shrouded in his blanket, as seemingly inattentive 
to surrounding objects as the departing congregation was* 
itself, to the presence of the aged chief. Natty, also, continued 
on the log where he had first placed himself, with his head 
resting on one of his hands, while the other held the rifle, 
which was thrown carelessly across his lap. His countenance 
expressed uneasiness, and the occasional unquiet glances that he 
had thrown around him during the service, plainly indicated 
some unusual causes for unhappiness. His continuing seated 
was, however, out of respect to the Indian chief, to whom he 
paid the utmost deference on all occasions, although it was 
mingled with the rough manner of a hunter. 

The young companion of these two ancient inhabitants of the 
forest remained also, standing before the extinguished brands, 
probably from an unwillingness to depart without his comrades. 
The room was now deserted by all but this group, the divine, 
and his daughter. As the party from the Mansion-house dis- 
appeared, John arose, and dropping the blanket from his head, 
he shook back the mass of black hair from his face, and ap- 
proaching Mr. Grant, he extended his hand, and said solemnly — 

“Father, I thank you. The words that have been said, 


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145 


since the rising moon, have gone upward, and the Great Spirit 
is glad. What you have told your children, they will remem- 
ber, and be good.” He paused a moment, and then, elevating 
himself with the grandeur of an Indian chief, he added, — “ If 
Chingachgook lives to travel towards the setting sun, after his 
tribe, and the Great Spirit carries him over the lakes and 
mountains with the breath in his body, he will tell his people 
the good talk he has heard ; and they will believe him ; for 
who can say that Mohegan has ever lied 2” 

“ Let him place his dependence on the goodness of Divine 
mercy,” said Mr. Grant, to whom the proud consciousness of 
the Indian sounded a little heterodox, “ and it never will desert 
him. When the heart is filled with love to God, there is no 
room for sin. — But, young man, to you I owe not only an obli- 
gation, in common with those you saved this evening on the 
mountain, but my thanks, for your respectful and pious manner 
in assisting; in the service at a most embarrassing; moment. 1 
should be happy to see you sometimes at my dwelling, when, 
perhaps, my conversation may strengthen you in the path which 
you appear to have chosen. It is so unusual to find one of 
your age and appearance, in these woods, at all acquainted with 
our holy liturgy, that it lessens at once the distance between us, 
and I feel that we are no longer strangers. You seem quite at 
home in the service : I did not perceive that you had even a 
book, although good Mr. Jones had laid several in different 
parts of the room.” 

“ It would be strange if I were ignorant of the service of our 
church, sir,” returned the youth modestly ; “ for I was baptized 
in its communion, and I have never yet attended public worship 
elsewhere. For me to use the forms of any other denomina- 
tion, would be as singular as our own have proved to the people 
here this evening.” 

“ You give me great pleasure, my dear sir,” cried the divine, 
seizing the other by the hand, and shaking it cordially. “ You 
will go home with me now — indeed you must — my child has 
yet to thank you for saving my life. I will listen to no apolo 

7 


140 


THE PIONEERS. 


gies. This worthy Indian, and your friend, there, will accom- 
pany us. — Bless me ! to think that he has arrived at manhood 
in this country, without entering a dissenting* meeting-house !” 

“ No, no,” interrupted the Leather-stocking, “ I must away to 
the wigwam ; there’s work there that mustn’t be forgotten for 
all your churchings and merry-makings. Let the lad go with 
you in welcome ; he is used to keeping company with ministers, 
aud talking of such matters ; so is old John, who was christian- 
ized by the Moravians about the time of the old war. But I 
am a plain, unlarned man, that has sarved both the king and 
his country, in his day, ag’in the French and savages, but never 
so much as looked into a book, or larnt a letter of scholarship, 
in my born days. I’ve never seen the use of such in-door work, 
though I have lived to be partly bald, and in my time have 
killed two hundred beaver in a season, and that without count- 
ing the other game. If you mistrust what I am telling you, 
you can ask Chingachgook there, for I did it in the heart of the 
Delaware country, and the old man is knowing to the truth of 
every word I say.” 

“ I doubt not, my friend, that you have been both a valiant 
soldier and skilful hunter in your day,” said the divine ; “ but 
more is wanting to prepare you for that end which approaches. 
You may have heard the maxim, that ‘ young men may die, 
but that old men must. 1 11 

“ I’m sure I never -was so great a fool as to expect to live for 
ever,” said Natty, giving one of his silent laughs ; “ no man 
need do that, who trails the savages through the woods, as I 
have done, and lives, for the hot months, on the lake streams. 
I’ve a strong constitution, I must say that for myself, as is plain 
to be seen ; for I’ve drunk the Onondaga water a hundred 
times, while I’ve been watching the deer-licks, when the fever- 
an-agy seeds was to be seen in it as plain and as plenty as you 


* The divines of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States, commonly 
call other denominations Dissenters, though there never was an established church 
in their ou n country ! 


THE PIONEERS. 


147 


can see the rattle-snakes on old Crumhorn. But then, I nevei 
expected to hold out for ever ; though there’s them living who 
have seen the Garman flats a wilderness ; ay ! and them that’s 
larned, and acquainted with religion, too ; though you might 
look a week, now, and not find even the stump of a pine on 
them ; and that’s a wood that lasts in the ground the better 
part of a hundred years after the tree is dead.” 

“ This is but time, my good friend,” returned Mr. Grant, who 
began to take an interest in the welfare of his new acquaintance, 
“ but I would have you prepare for eternity. It is incumbent 
on you to attend places of public worship, as I am pleased tc 
see that you have done this evening. Would it not be heedless 
in you to start on a day’s toil of hard hunting, and leave your 
ramrod and flint behind ?” 

“It must be a young hand in the woods,” interrupted Natty, 
with another laugh, “ that didn’t know how to dress a rod out 
of an ash sapling, or find a fire-stone in the mountains. No, 
no, I never expected to live for ever ; but I see, times be altering 
in these mountains from what they was thirty years ago, or, for 
that matter, ten years. But might makes right, and the law 
is stronger than an old man, whether he is one that has much 
larning, or only one like me, that is better now at standing at 
the passes than in following the hounds, as I once used to 
could. Heigh-ho ! I never know’d preaching come into a 
settlement but it made game scarce, and raised the price of 
gunpowder ; and that’s a thing that’s not as easily made as a 
ramrod or an Indian flint.” 

The divine, perceiving that he had given his opponent an 
argument by his own unfortunate selection of a comparison, 
very prudently relinquished the controversy ; although he was 
fully determined to resume it at a more happy moment. 
Repeating his request to the young hunter, with great earnest- 
ness, the youth and Indian consented to accompany him and 
his daughter to the dwelling that the care of Mr. Jones had 
provided for their temporary residence. Leather-stocking per- 


148 


THE PIONEERS. 


severed in his intention of returning to the hut, and at the door 
of the building they separated. 

After following the course of one of the streets of the village 
a short distance, Mr. Grant, who led the way, turned into a 
field, through a pair of open bars, and entered a footpath, of 
but sufficient width to admit one person to walk in it at a time. 
The moon had gained a height that enabled her to throw her 
rays perpendicularly on the valley ; and the distinct shadows 
of the party flitted along on the banks of the silver snow, like 
the presence of aerial figures, gliding to their appointed place 
of meeting. The night still continued intensely cold, although 
not a breath of wind was felt. The path was beaten so hard, 
that the gentle female, who made one of the party, moved with 
ease along its windings ; though the frost emitted a low creak- 
ing at the impression of even her light footsteps. 

The clergyman in his dark dress of broad-cloth, with his 
mild, benevolent countenance, occasionally turned towards his 
companions, expressing that look of subdued care which was 
its characteristic, presented the first object in this singular group. 
Next to him moved the Indian, his hair falling about his face, 
his head uncovered, and the rest of his form concealed beneath 
his blanket. As his swarthy visage, with its muscles fixed in 
rigid composure, was seen under the light of the moon which 
struck his face obliquely, he seemed a picture of resigned old 
age on whom the storms of winter had beaten in vain for the 
greater part of a century ; but when, in turning his head, the 
rays fell directly on his dark, fiery eyes, they told a tale of 
passions unrestrained, and of thoughts free as air. The slight 
person of Miss Grant, which followed next, and which was but 
too thinly clad for the severity of the season, formed a marked 
contrast to the wild attire and uneasy glances of the Delaware 
chief ; and more than once during their walk, the young hunter, 
himself no insignificant figure in the group, was led to consider 
the difference in the human form, as the face of Mohegan, and 
the gentle countenance of Miss Grant, with eyes that rivalled the 


THE PIONEERS. 


149 


soft hue of the sky, met his view at the instant that each turned 
to throw a glance at the splendid orb which lighted their path. 
Their way, which led through fields that lay at some distance 
in the rear of the houses, was cheered by a conversation that 
flagged or became animated with the subject. The first to 
speak was the divine. 

“ Really,” he said, “ it is so singular a circumstance to meet 
with one of your age, that has not been induced by idle curiosity 
to visit any other church than the one in which he has been 
educated, that I feel a strong curiosity to know the history of a 
life so fortunately regulated. Your education must have been 
excellent ; as indeed is evident from your manners and language. 
Of which of the States are you a native, Mr. Edwards ? for such, 
I believe, was the name that you gave Judge Temple.” 

“Of this.” 

“ Of this ! I was at a loss to conjecture, from your dialect, 
which does not partake, particularly, of the peculiarities of any 
country with which I am acquainted. You have, then, resided 
much in the cities, for no other part of this country is so fortu- 
nate as to possess the constant enjoyment of our excellent 
liturgy.” 

The young hunter smiled, as he listened to the divine while 
he so clearly betrayed from what part of the country he had 
come himself; but for reasons probably connected with his 
present situation, he made no answer. 

“ I am delighted to meet with you, my young friend, for I 
think an ingenuous mind, such as I doubt not yours must be, 
will exhibit all the advantages of a settled doctrine and devout 
liturgy. You perceive how I was compelled to bend to the 
humors of my hearers this evening. Good Mr. Jones wished 
me to read the communion, and, in fact, all tho morning ser- 
vice ; but, happily, the canons do not require this of an evening. 
It would have wearied a new congregation : but to-morrow 1 
purpose administering the sacrament. Do you commune, my 
young friend ?” 

“ I believe not, sir,” returned the youth, with a little embar- 


150 


THE PIONEERS. 


rassment, that was not at all diminished by Miss Grant’s 
pausing involuntarily, and turning her eyes on him in surprise 
— “ I fear that I am not qualified ; I have never yet approached 
the altar ; neither would I wish to do it, while I find so much 
of the world clinging to my heart.” 

“ Each must judge for himself,” said Mr. Grant ; “ though I 
should think that a youth who had never been blown about by 
the wind of false doctrines, and who has enjoyed the advan- 
tages of our liturgy for so many years in its purity, might 
safely come. Yet, sir, it is a solemn festival, which none should 
celebrate until there is reason to hope it is not mockery. I 
observed this evening, in your manner to Judge Temple, a re- 
sentment that bordered on one of the worst of human passions. 
We will cross this brook on the ice : it must bear us all, I think, 
in safety. — Be careful not to slip, my child.” While speaking, 
he descended a little bank by the path, and crossed one of the 
small streams that poured their waters into the lake; and, 
turning to see his daughter pass, observed that the youth had 
advanced, and was kindly directing her footsteps. When all 
were safely over, he moved up the opposite bank, and continued 
his discourse. — “ It was wrong, my dear sir, very wrong, to 
suffer such feelings to rise, under any circumstances, and espe- 
cially in the present, where the evil was not intended.” 

“ There is good .in the talk of my father,” said Mohegan, 
stopping short, and causing those who were behind him to 
pause also ; “ it is the talk of Miquon. The white man may do 
as his fathers have told him ; but the ‘ Young Eagle’ has the 
blood of a Delaware chief in his veins : it is red, and the stain it 
makes can only be washed out with the blood of a Mingo.” 

Mr. Grant was surprised by the interruption of the Indian, 
and, stopping, faced the speaker. His mild features were 
confronted to the fierce and determined looks of the chief, 
and expressed the horror he felt at hearing such sentiments 
from one who professed the religion of his Saviour. Raising his 
hands to a level with his head, he exclaimed — 

“ John, John ! is this the religion that you have learned from 


THE PIONEERS. 


151 


the Moravians ? But no — I will not be so uncharitable as to 
suppose it. They are a pious, a gentle, and a mild people, and 
could never tolerate these passions. Listen to the language of 
the Redeemer — ‘ But I say unto you, love your enemies ; bless 
them that curse you ; do good to them that hate you ; pray for 
them that despitefully use you and persecute you.’ — This is the 
command of God, J ohn, and without striving to cultivate such 
feelings, no man can see him.” 

The Indian heard the divine with attention ; the unusual fire 
of his eye gradually softened, and his muscles relaxed into their 
ordinary composure ; but, slightly shaking his head, he motioned 
with dignity for Mr. Grant to resume his walk, and followed 
himself in silence. The agitation of the divine caused him to 
move with unusual rapidity along the deep path, and the Indian, 
without any apparent exertion, kept an equal pace ; but the 
young hunter observed the female to linger in her steps, until a 
trifling distance intervened between the two former and the 
latter. Struck by the circumstance, and not perceiving any new 
impediment to retard her footsteps, the youth made a tender of 
his assistance. 

“ You are fatigued, Miss Grant,” he said ; “ the snow yields 
to the foot, and you are unequal to the strides of us men. Step 
on the crust, I entreat you, and take the help of my arm. 
Yonder light is, I believe, the house of *your father; hut it 
seems yet at some distance.” 

“ I am quite equal to the walk,” returned a low tremulous 
voice ; “ but I am startled by the manner of that Indian. Oh ! 
his eye was horrid, as he turned to the moon, in speaking to my 
father. But I forget, sir ; he is your friend, and by his language 
may he your relative ; and yet of you I do not feel afraid.” 

The young man stepped on the bank of snow, which firmly 
sustained his weight, and by a gentle effort induced his compa- 
nion to follow. Drawing her arm through his own, he lifted his 
cap from his head, allowing the dark locks to flow in rich curls 
over his open brow, and walked by her side with an air of 


152 


THE PIONEERS. 


conscious pride, as if inviting an examination of his inmost 
thoughts. Louisa took but a furtive glance at his person, and 
moved quietly along, at a rate that was greatly quickened by 
the aid of his arm. 

“You are but little acquainted with this peculiar people, 
Miss Grant,” he said, “ or you would know that revenge is a 
virtue with an Indian. They are taught from infancy upwards, 
to believe it a duty never to allow an injury to pass unrevenged ; 
and nothing but the stronger claims of hospitality can guard 
one against their resentments, where they have power.” 

“ Surely, sir,” said Miss Grant, involuntarily withdrawing her 
arm from his, “ you have not been educated with such unholy 
sentiments.” 

“ It might be a sufficient answer to your excellent father, to 
say, that I was educated in the church,” he returned ; “ but to 
you I will add, that I have been taught deep and practical 
lessons of forgiveness. I believe that, on this subject, I have 
but little cause to reproach myself ; it shall be my endeavor that 
there yet be less.” 

While speaking, he stopped, and stood with his arm again 
proffered to her assistance. As he ended, she quietly accepted 
his offer, and they resumed their walk. 

Mr. Grant and Mohegan had reached the door of the former’s 
residence, and stood’ waiting near its threshold for the arrival 
of their young companions. The former was earnestly occupied 
in endeavoring to correct, by his precepts, the evil propensities 
that he had discovered in the Indian during their conversation ; 
to which the latter listened in profound, but respectful attention. 
On the arrival of the young hunter and the lady, they entered 
the building. The house stood at some distance from the village) 
in the centre of a field, surrounded by stumps that were peering 
above the snow, bearing caps of pure white, nearly two feet in 
thickness. Not a tree nor a shrub was nigh it; but the house 
externally, exhibited that cheerless, unfinished aspect which is 
so common to the hastily erected dwellings of a new country. 


THE PIONEERS. 


153 


The uninviting character of its outside was, however, happily 
relieved by the exquisite neatness and comfortable warmth 
within. 

They entered an apartment that was fitted as a parlor, though 
the large fire-place, with its culinary arrangements, betrayed the 
domestic uses to which it was occasionally applied. The bright 
blaze from the hearth rendered the light that proceeded from 
the candle Louisa produced, unnecessary ; for the scanty furni- 
ture of the room was easily seen and examined by the former. 
The floor was covered in the centre by a carpet made of rags, 
a species of manufacture that was then, and yet continues to be, 
much in use in the interior ; while its edges, that were exposed 
to view, were of unspotted cleanliness. There was a trifling air 
of better life in a tea-table and work-stand, as well as in an old- 
fashioned mahogany book-case ; but the chairs, the dining-table, 
and the rest of the furniture, were of the plainest and cheapest 
construction. Against the walls were hung a few specimens of 
needle-work and drawing, the former executed with great neat- 
ness, though of somewhat equivocal merit in their designs, while 
the latter were strikingly deficient in both. 

One of the former represented a tomb, with a youthful female 
weeping over it, exhibiting a church with arched windows in 
the back-ground. On the tomb were the names, with the dates 
of the births and deaths, of several individuals, all of whom bore 
the name of Grant. An extremely cursory glance at this record 
was sufficient to discover to the young hunter the domestic state 
of the divine. He there read, that he was a widower ; and that 
the innocent and timid maiden, who had been his companion, 
was the only survivor of six children. The knowledge of the 
dependence which each of these meek Christians had on the 
other, for happiness, threw an additional charm around the 
gentle, but kind attentions, which the daughter paid to the 
father. 

These observations occurred while the party were seating 
themselves before the cheerful fire, during which time there was 
a suspension of discourse. But when each was comfortably 

7* 


154 


THE PIONEERS. 


arranged, and Louisa, after laying aside a thin coat of faded 
silk, and a gipsy hat, that was more becoming to her modest, 
ingenuous countenance than appropriate to the season, had 
taken a chair between her father and the youth, the former 
resumed the conversation. 

“ I trust, my young friend,” he said, “ that the education you 
have received has eradicated most of those revengeful principles 
which you may have inherited by descent , for I understand 
from the expressions of John, that you have some of the blood 
of the Delaware tribe. Do not mistake me, I beg, for it is not 
color, nor lineage, that constitutes merit ; and I know not that 
he who claims affinity to the proper owners of this soil has not 
the best right to tread these hills with the lightest conscience.” 

Mohegan turned solemnly to the speaker, and, with the pecu- 
liarly significant gestures of an Indian, he spoke : — 

“ Father, you are not yet past the summer of life ; your 
limbs are young. Go to the highest hill, and look around you. 
All that you see from the rising to the setting sun, from the 
head waters of the great spring, to where the ‘ crooked river’* 
is hid by the hills, is his. He has Delaware blood, and his 
right is strong. But the brother of Miquon is just : he will cut 
the country in two parts, as the river cuts the low-lands, and 
will say to the ‘ Young Eagle,’ Child of the Delawares ! take it 
— keep it — and be a chief in the land of your fathers.” 

“ Never !” exclaimed the young hunter, with a vehemence 
that destroyed the rapt attention with which the divine and his 
daughter were listening to the Indian. “ The wolf of the forest 
is not more rapacious for his prey, than that man is greedy of 
gold ; and yet his glidings into wealth are subtle as the move- 
ments of a serpent.” 

“ Forbear, forbear, my son, forbear,” interrupted Mr. Grant. 

“ These angry passions must be subdued. The accidental 
injury you have received from Judge Temple has heightened 

* The Susquehannah means crooked river; “ hannah,” or hannock, meant 
“ river,” in many of the native dialects. Thus we find Rappahannock, as far south 
as Virginia. 


THE PIONEERS. 


155 


the sense of your hereditary wrongs. But remember that the 
one was unintentional, and that the other is the effect of politi- 
cal changes, which have, in their course, greatly lowered the 
pride of kings, and swept mighty nations from the face of the 
earth. Where now are the Philistines, who so often held the 
children of Israel in bondage ? or that city of Babylon, which 
rioted in luxury and vice, and who styled herself the Queen of 
Nations in the drunkenness of her pride ? Remember the 
prayer of our holy litany, where we implore the Divine Power 
— ‘ that it may please thee to forgive our enemies, persecutors, 
and slanderers, and to turn their hearts.’ The sin of the wrongs 
which have been done to the natives is shared by Judge Temple 
only in common with a whole people, and your arm will 
speedily be restored to its strength.” 

“ This arm !” repeated the youth, pacing the floor in violent 
agitation. “ Think you, sir, that I believe the man a murderer ? 
— Oh, no ! he is too wily, too cowardly for such a crime. But 
let him and his daughter riot in their wealth — a day of retribu- 
tion will come. No, no, no,” he continued, as he trod the floor 
more calmly — “ it is for Moliegan to suspect him of an intent 
to injure me : but the trifle is not worth a second thought.” 

He seated himself, and hid his face between his hands, as 
they rested on his knees. 

“ It is the hereditary violence of a native’s passion, my child,” 
said Mr. Grant in a low tone, to his affrighted daughter, who 
was clinging in terror to his arm. “ He is mixed with the 
blood of the Indians, you have heard ; and neither the refine- 
ments of education, nor the advantages of our excellent liturgy, 
have been able entirely to eradicate the evil. But care and 
time will do much for him yet.” 

Although the divine spoke in a low tone, yet what he uttered 
was heard by the youth, who raised his head, with a smile of 
indefinite expression, and spoke more calmly. 

“ Be not alarmed, Miss Grant, at either the wildness of my 
manner or that of my dress. I have been carried away by 
passions that I should struggle to repress. I must attribute it, 


156 


THE PIONEERS. 


with your father, to the blood in my veins, although I would 
not impeach my lineage willingly ; for it is all that is left me 
to boast of. Yes ! Iam proud of my descent from a Dela- 
ware chief, who was a warrior that ennobled human nature. 
Old Mohegan was his friend, and will vouch for his virtues.” 

Mr. Grant here took up the discourse, and, finding the young 
man more calm, and the aged chief attentive, he entered into a 
full and theological discussion of the duty of forgiveness. The 
conversation lasted for more than an hour, when the visitors 
arose, and, after exchanging good wishes with their entertainers, 
they departed. At the door they separated, Mohegan taking 
the direct route to the village, while the youth moved towards 
the lake. The divine stood at the entrance of his dwelling, 
regarding the figure of the aged chief as it glided, at an asto- 
nishing gait for his years, along the deep path ; his black, 
straight hair just visible over the bundle formed by his blanket, 
which was sometimes blended with the snow, under the silvery- 
light of the moon. From the rear of the house was a window 
that overlooked the lake ; and here Louisa was found by her 
father, when he entered, gazing intently on some object in the 
direction of the eastern mountain. He approached the spot, 
and saw the figure of the young hunter, at the distance of half 
a mile, walking with prodigious steps across the wide fields of 
frozen snow that covered the ice, towards the point where he 
knew the hut inhabited by the Leather-stocking was situated 
on the margin of the lake, under a rock that was crowned by 
pines and hemlocks. At the next instant, the wildly-looking 
form entered the shadow cast from the overhanging trees, and 
was lost to view. 

“ It is marvellous how long the propensities of the savag* 
continue in that remarkable race,” said the good divine ; “ but 
if he persevere as he has commenced, his triumph shall yet be 
complete. Put me in mind, Louisa, to lend him the homily 
* against peril of idolatry,’ at his next visit.” 

“ Surely, father, you do not think him in danger of relapsing 
into the worship of his ancestors !” 


THE PIONEERS. 


157 


“ No, my child,” returned the clergyman, laying his hand 
affectionately on her flaxen locks, and smiling ; “ his white blood 
would prevent it ; but there is such a thing as the idolatry of 
our passions.” 


158 


THE PIONEEltS. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

And I’ll drink out of the quart pot, — 

Here’s a health to the barley mow. 

Drinking Song. 


On one of the corners, where the two principal streets of 
Templeton intersected each other, stood, as we have already 
mentioned, the inn called the “ Bold Dragoon.” In the origi- 
nal plan, it was ordained that the village should stretch along 
the little stream that rushed down the valley ; and the street 
which led from the lake to the academy, was intended to be its 
western boundary. But convenience frequently frustrates the 
best regulated plans. The house of Mr., or as, in consequence 
of commanding the militia of that vicinity, he was called, 
Captain Hollister, had, at an early day, been erected directly 
facing the main street, and ostensibly interposed a barrier to 
its further progress. Horsemen, and subsequently teamsters, 
however, availed themselves of an opening, at the end of the 
building, to shorten their passage westward, until, in time, the 
regular highway was laid out along this course, and houses 
were gradually built on either side, so as effectually to prevent 
any subsequent correction of the evil. 

Two material consequences followed this change in the 
regular plans of Marmaduke. The main street, after running 
about half its length, was suddenly reduced to precisely that 
difference in its width ; and the “ Bold Dragoon ” became, next 
to the Mansion-house, by far the most conspicuous edifice in the 
place. 

This conspicuousness, aided by the characters of the host and 
hostess, gave the tavern an advantage over all its future compe- 
titors, that no circumstances could conquer. An effort was, 


THE PIONEERS. 


150 


however, made to do so ; and at the corner diagonally opposite, 
stood a new building that was intended, by its occupants, to 
look down all opposition. It was a house of wood, ornamented 
in the prevailing style of architecture, and about the roof and 
balustrades, was one of the three imitators of the Mansion-house. 
The upper windows were filled with rough boards secured by 
nails, to keep out the cold air — for the edifice was far from 
finished, although glass was to be seen in the lower apartments, 
and the light of the powerful fires within denoted that it was 
already inhabited. The exterior was painted white on the front, 
and on the end which was exposed to the street ; but in the rear, 
and on the side which was intended to join the neighboring house, 
it was coarsely smeared with Spanish brown. Before the door 
stood two lofty posts, connected at the top by a beam, from 
which was suspended an enormous sign, ornamented around its 
edges with certain curious carvings in pine boards, and on its 
faces loaded with masonic emblems. Over these mysterious 
figures was written, in large letters, “ The Templeton Coffee- 
House, and Travellers’ Hotel,” and beneath them, “ By 
Habakkuk Foote and Joshua Knapp.” This was a fearful rival 
to the “Bold Dragoon,” as our readers will the more readily 
perceive, when we add that the same sonorous names were to 
be seen over the door of a newly erected store in the village, a 
hatter’s shop, and the gates of a tan-yard. But, either because 
too much was attempted to be executed well, or that the “ Bold 
Dragoon” had established a reputation which could not be 
easily shaken, not only Judge Temple and his friends, but most 
cf the villagers also, who were not in debt to the powerful firm 
we have named, frequented the inn of Captain Hollister, on all 
occasions where such a house was necessary. 

On the present evening the limping veteran and his consort 
were hardly housed after their return from the academy, when 
the sounds of stamping feet at their threshold announced the 
approach of visitors, who were probably assembling with a view 
to compare opinions on the subject of the ceremonies they 
had witnessed. 



160 


THE PIONEERS. 


The public, or as it was called, the “ bar-room,” of the “ Bold 
Dragoon,” was a spacious apartment, lined on three sides with 
benches, and on the fourth by fire-places. Of the latter there 
were two of such size as to occupy, with their enormous jambs, 
the whole of that side of the apartment where they were placed, 
excepting room enough for a door or two, and a little apartment 
in one corner, which was protected by miniature palisadoes, and 
profusely garnished with bottles and glasses. In the entrance to 
this sanctuary, Mrs. Hollister was seated, with great gravity in her 
air, while her husband occupied himself with stirring the fires, 
moving the logs with a large stake burnt to a point at one end. 

“ There, Sargeant, dear,” said the landlady, after she thought 
the veteran had got the logs arranged in the most judicious 
manner, “ give over poking, for it’s no good ye’ll be doing, now 
that they burn so convaniently. There’s the glasses on the 
table there, and the mug that the Doctor was taking his cider 
and ginger in, before the fire here — just put them in the bar, 
will ye ? for we’ll be having the Jooge, and the Major, and Mr. 
Jones down the night, without reckoning Benjamin Poomp, and 
the lawyers : so ye’ll be fixing the room tidy ; and put both flip 
irons in the coals ; and tell J ude, the lazy black baste, that if 
she’s no be claneing up the kitchen I’ll turn her out of the 
house, and she may live wid the jontlemen that kape the 
4 Coffee-house,’ good luck to ’em. Och ! Sargeant, sure it’s a 
great privilege to go to a mateing where a body can sit asy, 
widout joomping up and down so often, as this Mr. Grant is 
doing that same.” 

“ It’s a privilege at all times, Mrs. Hollister, whether we stand 
or be seated ; or, as good Mr. Whitefield used to do after he had 
made a wearisome day’s march, get on our knees and pray, like 
Moses of old, with a flanker to the right and left, to lift his hands 
to heaven,” returned her husband, who composedly performed 
what she had directed to be done. “ It was a very pretty fight, 
Betty, that the Israelites had on that day with the Amalekites. 
It seems that they fout on a plain, for Moses is mentioned as 
having gone on to the heights to overlook the battle, and 



THE PIONEERS. 


161 


wrestle in prayer ; and if I should judge, with my little laming, 
the Israelites depended mainly on their horse, for it is written 
that Joshua cut up the enemy with the edge of the sword ; from 
which I infer, not only that they were horse, but well 
disciplyn’d troops. Indeed, it says as much as that they were 
chosen men ; quite likely volunteers ; for raw dragoons seldom 
strike with the edge of their swords, particularly if the weapon 
be any way crooked.” 

“ Pshaw ! why do ye bother yourself wid taxts, man, about 
so small a matter,” interrupted the landlady ; “ sure, it was the 
Lord who was with ’em ; for he always sided wid the Jews, 
before they fell away ; and it’s but little matter what kind of 
men Joshua commanded, so that he was doing the right 
bidding. Aven them cursed millaishy, the Lord forgive me 
for swearing, that was the death of him, wid their cowardice, 
would have carried the day in old times. There’s no rason to 
be thinking that the soldiers were used to the drill.” 

“ I must say, Mrs. Hollister, that I have not often seen raw 
troops fight better than the left flank of the militia, at the time 
you mention. They rallied handsomely, and that without beat 
of drum, which is no easy thing to do under fire, and were 
very steady till he fell. But the Scriptures contain no 
unnecessary words ; and I will maintain that horse, who know 
how to strike with the edge of the sword, must be well 
disciplyn’d. Many a good sarmon has been preached about 
smaller matters than that one word! If the text was not 
meant to be particular, why wasn’t it written with the sword, 
and not with the edge ? Now, a back-handed stroke, on the 
edge, takes long practice. Goodness! what an argument 
would Mr. Whitefield make of that word edge! As to the 
Captain, if he had only called up the guard of dragoons when 
he rallied the foot, they would have shown the inimy what the 
edge of a sword was ; for, although there was no commissioned 
officer with them, yet I think I may say,” the veteran continued, 
stiffening his cravat about the throat, and raising himself up, 




1G2 


THE PIONEERS. 


with the air of a drill-sergeant, “they were led by a man who 
know’d how to bring them on, in spite of the ravine.” 

“ Is it lade on ye would,” cried the landlady, “ when ye 
know yourself, Mr. Hollister, that the baste he rode was but 
little able to joomp from one rock to another, and the animal 
was as spry as a squirrel ? Och ! but it’s useless to talk, for 
he’s gone this many a year. I would that he had lived to see 
the true light ; but there’s mercy for a brave sowl, that died in 
the saddle, fighting for the liberty. It is a poor tombstone 
they have given him, any way, and many a good one that died 
like himself ; but the sign is very like, and I will be kapeing 
it up, while the blacksmith can make a hook for it to swing on, 
for all the ‘ coffee-houses ’ betwane this and Albany.” 

There is no saying where this desultory conversation would 
have led the worthy couple, had not the men, who were 
stamping the snow off their feet, on the little platform before 
the door, suddenly ceased their occupation, and entered the 
bar-room. 

For ten or fifteen minutes, the different individuals, who 
intended either to bestow or receive edification, before the fires 
of the “ Bold Dragoon,” on that evening, were collecting, until 
the benches were nearly filled with men of different occupa- 
tions. Dr. Todd and a slovenly-looking, shabby-genteel young 
man, who took tobacco profusely, wore a coat of imported 
cloth, cut with something like a fash fon able air, frequently 
exhibited a large French silver watch, with a chain of woven 
hair and a silver key, and who, altogether, seemed as much 
above the artisans around him as he was himself inferior to 
the real gentleman, occupied a high-back wooden settee, in the 
most comfortable corner in the apartment. 

Sundry brown mugs, containing cider or beer, were placed 
between the heavy andirons, and little groups were formed 
among the guests, as subjects arose, or the liquor was passed 
from one to the other. No man was seen to drink by himself, 
nor in any instance was more than. one vessel considered 
necessary for the same beverage ; but the glass, or the mug, 




THE PIONEERS. 


163 


was passed from hand to hand, until a chasm in the line, or a 
regard to the rights of ownership, would regularly restore the 
dregs of the potation to him who defrayed the cost. 

Toasts were uniformly drunk ; and, occasionally, some one, 
who conceived himself peculiarly endowed by nature to shine 
in the way of wit, would attempt some such sentiment as 
“ hoping that he” who treated, “ might make a better man 
than his father or, “ live till all his friends wished him dead 
while the more humble pot-companion contented himself by 
saying, with a most imposing gravity in his air, “ come, here’s 
luck,” or by expressing some other equally comprehensive 
desire. In every instance, the veteran landlord was requested 
to imitate the custom of the cupbearers to kings, and taste the 
liquor he presented, by the invitation of “ after you is manners,” 
with which request he ordinarily complied, by wetting his lips, 
first expressing the wish of “ here’s hoping,” leaving it to the 
imagination of the hearers to fill the vacuum by whatever good 
each thought most desirable. During these movements, the 
landlady was busily occupied with mixing the various compounds 
required by her customers, with her own hands, and occasionally 
exchanging greetings and inquiries concerning the conditions 
of their respective families, with such of the villagers as 
approached the bar. 

At length the common thirst being in some measure 
assuaged, conversation of a more general nature became the 
order of the hour. The physician, and his companion, who 
was one of the two lawyers of the village, being considered the 
best qualified to maintain a public discourse with credit, were 
the principal speakers, though a remark was hazarded, now and 
then, by Mr. Doolittle, who was thought to be their inferior 
only in the enviable point of education. A general silence 
was produced on all but the two speakers, by the following 
observation from the practitioner of the law : — 

“ So, Dr. Todd, I understand that you have been performing 
an important operation, this evening, by cutting a charge 
of buckshot from the shoulder of the son of Leather-stocking 


164 


THE PIONEERS. 


Yes, sir,” returned the other, elevating his little head with 
an air of importance. “ I had a small job up at the J udge’s in 
that way ; it was, however, but a trifle to what it might have 
been, had it gone through the body. The shoulder is not 
a very vital part ; and I think the young man will soon 
be well. But I did not know that the patient was a son of 
Leather stocking : it is news to me to hear that Natty had a 
wife” 

“ It is by no means a necessary consequence,” returned the 
other, winking, with a shrewd look around the bar-room ; 
“ there is such a thing, I suppose you know, in law, as a ‘ filius 
nullius.’ ” 

“ Spake it out, man,” exclaimed the landlady ; “ spake it out 
iu king’s English ; what for should ye be talking Indian in a 
room full of Christian folks, though it is about a poor hunter, 
who is but a little better in his ways than the wild savages 
themselves ? Och ! it’s to be hoped that the missionaries will, 
in his own time, make a convarsion of the poor divils ; and 
then it will matter little of what color is the skin, or wedder 
there be wool or hair on the head.” 

“ Oh ! it is Latin, not Indian, Miss Hollister,” returned the 
lawyer, repeating his winks and shrewd looks ; “ and Dr. Todd 
understands Latin, or how would he read the labels on his 
gallipots and drawers ? No, no, Miss Hollister, the Doctor 
understands me ; don’t you, Doctor ?” 

“ Hem, — why I guess I am not far out of the way,” returned 
Elnathan, endeavoring to imitate the expression of the other’s 
countenance, by looking jocular. “ Latin is a queer language, 
gentlemen ; now I rather guess there is no one in the room 
except Squire Lippet, who can believe that ‘ Far. Av.’ means 
oatmeal, in English.” 

The lawyer in his turn was a good deal embarrassed by this 
display of learning ; for, although he actually had taken his 
first degree at one of the eastern universities, he was somewhat 
puzzled with the terms used by his companion. It was 
dangerous, however, to appear to be outdone in learning in a 


THE PIONEERS. 


1G5 


public bar-room, and before so many of his clients ; he therefore 
put the best face on the matter, and laughed knowingly, as if 
there were a good joke concealed under it, that was understood 
only by the physician and himself. All this was attentively 
observed by the listeners, who exchanged looks of approbation ; 
and the expressions of “ tonguey man,” and “ I guess Squire 
Lippet knows, if anybody doos,” were heard in different parts 
of the room, as vouchers for the admiration of his auditors. 
Thus encouraged, the lawyer rose from his chair, and turning 
his back to the fire, and facing the company, he continued — 

“ The son of Natty, or the son of nobody, I hope the young 
man is not going to let the matter drop. This is a country of 
laws ; and I should like to see it fairly tried, whether a man 
who owns, or says he owns, a hundred thousand acres of land, 
has any more right to shoot a body than another. What do 
you think of it, Dr. Todd ?” 

“ Oh ! sir, I am of opinion that the gentleman will soon be 
well, as I said before ; the wound isn’t in a vital part ; and as 
the ball was extracted so soon, and the shoulder was what I 
call well attended to, I do not think there is as much danger as 
there might have been.” 

“ I say, Squire Doolittle,” continued the attorney, raising his 
voice, “ you are a magistrate, and know what is law, and what 
is not law. I ask you, sir, if shooting a man is a thing that is 
to be settled so very easily ? Suppose, sir, that the young man 
had a wife and family ; and suppose that he was a mechanic 
like yourself, sir ; and suppose that his family depended on 
him for bread ; and suppose that the ball, instead of merely 
going through the flesh, had broken the shoulder-blade, and 
crippled him for ever ; I ask you all, gentlemen, supposing this 
to be the case, whether a jury wouldn’t give what I call 
handsome damages ?” 

As the close of this supposititious case was addressed to the 
company generally, Hiram did not, at first, consider himself 
called on for a reply ; but finding the eyes of the listeners bent 
on him in expectation, he remembered his character for judicial 


1C6 


THE PIONEERS. 


discrimination, and spoke, observing a due degree of deliberation 
and dignity. 

“ Why, if a man should shoot another,” he said, “ and if he 
should do it on purpose, and if the law took notice on’t, and 
if a jury should find him guilty, it would be likely to turn out 
a state-prison matter.” 

“It would so, sir,” returned the attorney. “The law, 
gentlemen, is no respecter of persons in a free country. It is 
one of the great blessings that has been handed down to us 
from our ancestors, that all men are equal in the eye of the law 
as they are by nater. Though some may get property, no one 
knows how, yet they are not privileged to transgress the laws 
any more than the poorest citizen in the state. This is my 
notion, gentlemen ; and I think that if a man had a mind to 
bring this matter up, something might be made out of it that 
would help pay for the salve — ha ! Doctor ?” 

“ Why, sir,” returned the physician, who appeared a little 
uneasy at the turn the conversation was taking, “I have the 
promise of Judge Temple before men — not but what I would 
take his word as soon as his note of hand — but it was before 
men. Let me see — there was Mounshier Ler Quow, and Squire 
Jones, and Major Hartmann, and Miss Pettibone, and one or two 
of the blacks by, when he said that his pocket would amply 
reward me for what I did.” 

“ Was the promise made before or after the service was per- 
formed ?” asked the attorney. 

“ It might have been both,” returned the discreet physician ; 
“ though I’m certain he said so before I undertook the dressing.” 

“ But it seems that he said his pocKet should reward you, 
Doctor,” observed Hiram. “Now I don’t know that the law 
will hold a man to such a promise ; he might give you his 
pocket with sixpence in’t, and tell you to take your pay out on’t.” 

“ That would not be a reward in the eye of the law,” inter- 
rupted the attorney — “ not what is called a ‘ quid pro quo nor 
is the pocket to be considered as an agent, but as part of a 
man’s own person, that is, in this particular. I am of opinion 


THE PIONEERS. 167 

that an action would lie on that promise, and I will undertake 
to bear him out, free of costs, if he don’t recover.” 

To this proposition the physician made no reply ; but he was 
observed to cast his eyes around him, as if to enumerate the 
witnesses, in order to substantiate this promise also, at a future 
day, should it prove necessary. A subject so momentous as 
that of suing Judge Temple was not very palatable to the 
present company in so public a place; and a short silence 
ensued, that was only interrupted by the opening of the door, 
and the entrance of Natty himself. 

The old hunter carried in his hand his never failing compa- 
nion, the rifle ; and although all of the company were uncovered 
excepting the lawyer, who wore his hat on one side, with a cer- 
tain dam’me air, Natty moved to the front of one of the fires, 
without in the least altering any part of his dress or appearance. 
Several questions were addressed to him, on the subject of the 
game he had killed, which he answered readily, and with some 
little interest ; and the landlord, between whom and Natty 
there existed much cordiality, on account of their both having 
been soldiers in youth, offered him a glass of a liquid, which, 
if we Inight judge from its reception, was no unwelcome guest. 
When the forester had got his potation also, he quietly took 
his seat on the end of one of the logs that lay nigh the fires, 
and the slight interruption produced by his entrance seemed to 
be forgotten. 

“ The testimony of the blacks could not be taken, sir,” conti- 
nued the lawyer, “ for they are all the property of Mr. Jones, who 
owns their time. But there is a way by which Judge Temple, 
or any other man, might be made to pay for shooting another, 
and for the cure in the bargain. — There is a way, I say, and 
that without going into the ‘ court of errors, too.” 

“ And a mighty big error ye would make of it, Mister Todd,” 
cried the landlady, “ should ye be putting the matter into the 
law at all, with Joodge Temple, who has a purse as long as 
one of them pines on the hill, and who is an asy man to dale 
wid, if yees but mind the humor of him. He’s a good man is 


168 


THE PIONEERS. 


Joodge Temple, and a kind one, and one who will be no the likelier 
to do the pratty thing, becase ye would wish to tarrify him wid 
the law. I know of but one objaction to the same, which is an 
over carelessness about his sowl. It’s neither a Methodie, nor 
a Papish, nor Prasbetyrian, that he is, but just nothing at all ; 
and it’s hard to think that he, ‘ who will not fight the good fight, 
under the banners of a rig’lar church, in this world, will be 
mustered among the chosen in heaven,’ as my husband, the 
captain there, as ye call him, says — though there is but one 
captain that I know, who desaarves the name. I hopes Lather- 
stocking, ye’ll no be foolish, and putting the boy up to try the 
law in the matter ; for ’twill be an evil day to ye both, when 
ye first turn the skin of so paceable an animal as a sheep into a 
bone of contention. The lad is wilcome to his drink for nothing, 
until his shoulther will bear the rifle ag’in.” 

“ 'Well, that’s gin’rous,” was heard from several mouths at 
once, for this was a company in which a liberal offer was not 
thrown away ; while the hunter, instead of expressing any of 
that indignation which he might be supposed to feel, at hearing 
the hurt of his young companion alluded to, opened his mouth, 
with the silent laugh for which he was so remarkable ; and after 
he had indulged his humor, made this reply : — 

‘‘I know’d the Judge would do nothing with his smooth-bore 
when he got out of his sleigh. I never saw but one smooth- 
bore that would carry at all, and that was a French-ducking 
piece, upon the big lakes : it had a barrel half as long ag’in as 
my rifle, and would throw fine shot into a goose, at 100 yards ; 
but it made dreadful work with the game, and you wanted a 
boat to carry it about in. When I went with Sir William ag’in 
the French, at Fort Niagara, all the rangers used the rifle ; and 
a dreadful weapon it is, in the hands of one who knows how to 
charge it, and keep a steady aim. The Captain knows, for he 
says he was a soldier in Shirley’s ; and though they were no- 
thing butbaggonet-men, he must know how we cut up the French 
and Iroquois in the skrimmages in that war. Chingachgook, 
which means ‘ Big Sarpent ’ in English, old John Mohegan, who 


THE PIONEERS. 


1G9 


lives up at the hut with me, was a great warrior then, and was 
out with us ; he can tell all about it, too ; though he was 
overhand for the tomahawk, never firing more than once or 
twice, before he was running in for the scalps. Ah! times 
is dreadfully altered since then. Why, Doctor, there was 
nothing but a footpath, or at the most a track for pack-horses, 
along the Mohawk, from the Jarman Flats up to the forts. Now, 
they say, they talk of running one of them wide roads with 
gates on it along the river; first making a road, and then 
fencing it up ! I hunted one season back of the Kaatskills, 
nigh-hand to the settlements, and the dogs often lost the scent, 
when they came to them highways, there was so much travel on 
them ; though I can’t say that the brutes was of a very good 
breed. Old Hector will wind a deer in the fall of the year, 
across the broadest place in the Otsego, and that is a mile and 
a half, for I paced it myself on the ice, when the tract was first 
surveyed, under the Indian grant.” 

“ It sames to me, Natty, but a sorry compliment, to call your 
comrad after the evil one,” said the landlady ; “ and it’s no much 
like a snake that old John is looking now. Nimrod would be a 
more besameing name for the lad, and a more Christian, too, 
seeing that it comes from the Bible. The sargeant read me 
the chapter about him, the night before my christening, and a 
mighty asement it was, to listen to anything from the book.” 

“ Old John and Chingachgook were very different men to 
look on,” returned the hunter, shaking his head at his melan- 
choly recollections. — “ In the ‘ fifty-eighth war ’ he was in the 
middle of manhood, and taller than now by three inches. If 
you had seen him, as I did, the morning we beat Dieskau, from 
behind our log walls, you would have called him as comely a 
red-skin as ye ever set eyes on. He was naked all to his breech- 
cloth and leggins ; and you never seed a creater so handsomely 
painted. One side of his face was red, and the other black. 
His head was shaved clean, all to a few hairs on the crown, 
where he wore a tuft of eagle’s feathers, as bright as if they had 
come from a peacock’s tail. He had colored his sides so tha', 

8 


170 


THE PIONEERS. 


they looked like an atomy, ribs and all ; for Chingachgook had 
a great taste *in such things ; so that, what with his bold, fiery 
countenance, his knife, and his tomahawk, I have never seen a 
fiercer warrior on the ground. He played his part, too, like a 
man ; for I saw him next day, with thirteen scalps on his pole. 
And I will say this for the ‘ Big Snake,’ that he always dealt 
fair, and never scalped any that he didn’t kill with his own 
hands.” 

“ Well, well,” cried the landlady ; “ fighting is fighting, any- 
way, and there is different fashions in the thing ; though I 
can’t say that I relish mangling a body after the breath is out 
of it ; neither do I think it can be upliild by doctrine. I hope, 
sargeant, ye niver was helping in sich evil worrek.” 

“ It was my duty to keep my ranks, and to stand or fall by 
the baggonet or lead,” returned the veteran. “ I was then in 
the fort, and seldom leaving my place, saw but little of the 
savages, who kept on the flanks or in front, skrimmaging. I 
remember, howsomever, to have heard mention made of the 
‘ Great Snake,’ as he was called, for he was a chief of renown ; 
but little did I ever expect to see him enlisted in the cause of 
Christianity, and civilized like old John.” 

“ Oh ! he was Christianized by the Moravians, who were 
always over intimate with the Delawares,” said Leather- 
stocking. “ It’s my opinion that, had they been left to them- 
selves, there would be no such doings now, about the head 
waters of the two rivers, and that these hills mought have been 
kept as good hunting-ground by their right owner, who is not 
too old to carry a rifle, and whose sight is as true as a fish-hawk 
hovering 

He was interrupted by more stamping at the door, and 
presently the party from the Mansion-house entered, followed 
by the Indian himself. 


THE PIONEERS. 


m 


CHAPTER XIV. 


“ There’s quart-pot, pint-pot, half-pint, 

Gill-pot, half gill, nipperkin, 

And the brown bowl — 

Here’s a health to the barley mow, • 

My brave boys, 

Here’s a health to the barley mow.” 

Drinking Sonc. 


Some little commotion was produced by the appearance of 
the new guests, during which the lawyer slunk from the room. 
Most of the men approached Marmaduke, and shook his offered 
hand, hoping “ that the J udge was well while Major Hartmann, 
having laid aside his hat and wig, and substituted for the latter 
a warm, peaked woollen night-cap, took his seat very quietly on 
one end of the settee, which was relinquished by its former 
occupants. His tobacco-box was next produced, and a clean 
pipe was handed him by the landlord. When he had 
succeeded in raising a smoke, the Major gave a long whiff, and 
turning his head towards the bar, he said — 
u Petty, pring in ter toddy.” * 

In the meantime the Judge had exchanged hi.s salutations 
with most of the company, and taken a place by the side of the 
Major, and Richard had bustled himself into the most com- 
fortable seat in the room. Mr. Le Quoi was the last seated, nor 
did he venture to place his chair finally, until by frequent 
removals, he had ascertained that he could not possibly intercept 
a ray of heat from any individual present. Mohegan found a 
place on an end of one of the benches, and somewhat approxi- 
mated to the bar. When these movements had subsided, the 
Judge remarked pleasantly— 

“ Well, Betty, I find you retain your popularity through all 


172 


THE PIONEERS. 


# 

weathers, against all rivals, and among all religions. How 
liked you the sermon ?” 

“ Is it the sarmon ?” exclaimed the landlady. “ I can’t say but 
it was rasonable ; but the prayers is mighty unasy. It’s no 
small a matter for a body in their fifty-nint’ year, to be moving 
so much in church. Mr. Grant sames a godly man, any way, 
and his garrel is a hoomble one, and a devout. — Here, John, is 
a mug of cider, laced with whiskey. An Indian will drink cider, 
though he niver be athirst.” 

“I .must say,” observed Hiram, with due deliberation, “that 
it was a tonguey thing ; and I rather guess that it gave consi- 
derable satisfaction. There was one part, though, which might 
have been left out, or something else put in ; but then I s’pose 
that, as it was a written discourse, it is not so easily altered as 
where a minister preaches without notes.” 

“ Ay ! there’s the rub, Jooge,” cried the landlady. “ How 
can a man stand up and be praching his word, when all that 
he is saying is written down, and he is as much tied to it as iver 
a thaving dragoon was to the pickets ?” 

“ Well, well,” cried Marmaduke, waving his hand for silence, 
“ there is enough said ; as Mr. Grant told us, there are different 
sentiments on such subjects, and in my opinion he spoke most 
sensibly. — So, Jotham, I am told you have sold your better- 
ments to a new settler, and have moved into the village, and 
opened a school. Was it cash or dicker ?” 

The man who was thus addressed occupied a seat immediately 
behind Marmaduke ; and one who was ignorant of the extent of 
the Judge’s observation, might have thought he would have 
escaped notice. He was of a thin, shapeless figure, with a 
discontented expression of countenance, and with something 
extremely shiftless in his whole air. Thus spoken to, after turn- 
ing and twisting a little, by way of preparation, he made a 
reply. 

“ Why, part cash, and part dicker. I sold out to a Pumfret- 
man who was so’thin forehanded. He was to give me ten 
dollars an acre for the clearin, and one dollar an acre over the 


THE PIONEERS. 


173 




first cost, on the woodland ; and we agreed to leave the buildins 
to men. So I tuck Asa Montagu, and he tuck Absalom 
Bement, and they two tuck old Squire Napthali Green. And 
so they had a meetin, and made out a vardict of eighty dollars for 
the buildins. There was twelve acres of clearin, at ten dollars, 
and eighty-eight at one, and the whull came to two hundred and 
eighty-six dollars and a half, after paying the men.” 

“ Hum,” said Marmaduke : “ what did you give for the 
place ?” 

“ Why, besides what’s cornin’ to the Judge, I gi’n my 
brother Tim a hundred dollars for his bargain ; but then there’s 
a new house on’t, that cost me sixty more, and I paid Moses a 
hundred dollars, for choppin’, and loggin’, and so win’ ; so that 
the whull stood me in about two hundred and sixty dollars. 
But then I had a great crop off on’t, and as I got twenty-six 
dollars and a half more than it cost, I conclude I made a pretty 
good trade on’t.” 

“ Yes, but you forgot that the crop was yours without the 
trade, and you have turned yourself out of doors for twenty-six 
dollars.” 

“ Oh ! the Judge is clean out,” said the man, with a look of 
sagacious calculation ; “ he turned out a span of horses, that is 
wuth a hundred and fifty dollars of any man’s money, with a 
bran new wagon ; fifty dollars in cash ; and a good note for 
eighty more ; and a sidesaddle that was valued at seven and a 
half — so there was jist twelve shillings betwixt us. I wanted 
him to turn out a set of harness, and take the cow and the sap 
troughs. He wouldn’t — but I saw through it ; he thought I 
should have to buy the tacklin’ afore I could use the wagon and 
horses ; but I know’d a thing or two myself ; I should like to 
know of what use is the tacklin’ to him ! I offered him to 
trade back ag’in, for one hundred and fifty-five. But my 
woman said she wanted a churn, so I tuck a churn for the 
change.” 

“ And what do you mean to do with your time this winter ? 
you must remember that time is money.” 


174 THE PIONEERS. 

“ Why, as the master is gone down country, to see his 
mother, who, they say, is going to make a die on’t, I agreed to 
take the school in hand till he comes back. If times doosn’t 
get worse in the spring, I’ve some notion of going into trade, or 
maybe I may move off to the Genesee ; they say they are 
carryin’ on a great stroke of business that-a-way. If the wust 
comes to the wust, I can but work at my trade, for I was 
brought up in a shoe manufactory.” 

It would seem that Marmaduke did not think his society of 
sufficient value to attempt inducing him to remain where he 
was ; for he addressed no further discourse to the man, but 
turned his attention to other subjects. After a short pause, 
Hiram ventured a question : — 

“ AVhat news does the Judge bring us from the Legislature 2 
it’s not likely that Congress has done much this session : or 
maybe the French haven’t fit any more battles lately ?” 

“ The French, since they have beheaded their king, have 
done nothing but fight,” returned the Judge. “ The character 
of the nation seems changed. I knew many French gentlemen, 
during our war, and they all appeared to me to be men of great 
humanity and goodness of heart; but these Jacobins are as 
bloodthirsty as bull-dogs.” 

“ There was one Roshambow wid us, down at Yorrektown,” 
cried the landlady ; “ a mighty pratty man he was, too ; and 
their horse was the very same. It was there that the sargeant 
got the hurt in the leg, from the English batteries, bad luck to 
’em.” 

“ Ah ! mon pauvre Roi !” murmured Monsieur Le Quoi. 

“ The Legislature have been passing laws,” continued Mar- 
maduke, “that the country much required. Among others, 
there is an act prohibiting the drawing of seines, at any other 
than proper seasons, in certain of our streams and small lakes ; 
and another, to prohibit the killing of deer in the teeming 
months. These are laws that were loudly called for, by 
judicious men ; nor do I despair of getting an act to make the 
unlawful felling of timber a criminal offence.” 


THE PIONEERS. 


175 


The huntei listened to this detail with breathless attention, 
and when the Judge had ended, he laughed in open derision. 

“You may make your laws, Judge,” he cried, “but who 
will you find to watch the mountains through the long summer 
days, or the lakes at night ? Game is game, and he who finds 
may kill ; that has been the law in these mountains for forty 
years, to my sartain knowledge ; and I think one old law is 
worth two new ones. None but a green-one would wish to kill 
a doe with a fa’n by its side, unless his moccasins were getting 
old, or his leggins ragged, for the flesh is lean and coarse. But 
a rifle rings among the rocks along the lake shore, sometimes, 
as if fifty pieces were fired at once : — it would be hard to tell 
where the man stood who pulled the trigger.” 

“ Armed with the dignity of the law, Mr. Bumppo,” returned 
the Judge, gravely, “ a vigilant magistrate can prevent much of 
the evil that has hitherto prevailed, and which is already render- 
ing the game scarce. I hope to live to see the day when a man’s 
rights in his game shall be as much respected as his title to his 
farm.” 

“ Your titles and your farms are all new together,” cried 
Natty ; “ but laws should be equal, and not more for one than 
another. I shot a deer, last Wednesday was a fortnight, and it 
floundered through the snow banks till it got over a brush fence ; 
I catch’d the lock of my rifle in the twigs in following, and was 
kept back, until finally the creater got off. Now I want to know 
who is to pay me for that deer ; and a fine buck it was. If 
there hadn’t been a fence I should have gotten another shot 
into it ; and I never draw’d upon anything that hadn’t wings 
three rimes running, in my born days. — No, no, Judge, it’s the 
farmers that makes the game scarce, and not the hunters.” 

“ Ter teer is not so plenty as in ter old war, Pumppo,” said 
the Major, who had been an attentive listener, amidst clouds of 
smoke ; “ put ter lant is not mate as for ter teer to live on, put 
for Christians.” 

“ Why, Major, I believe you’re a friend to justice and the 
right, though you go so often to the grand house ; but it’s a 


176 


THE PIONEERS. 


hard case to a man to have his honest calling for a livelihood 
stopped by laws, and that too when, if right was done, he 
mought hunt or fish on any day in the week, or on the best 
flat in the Patent, if he was so minded.” 

“ I unstertant you, Letter-stockint,” returned the Major, fixing 
his black eyes, with a look of peculiar meaning, on the hunter ; 
“ put you didn’t use to be so prutent, as to look ahet mit so 
much care.” 

“ Maybe there wasn’t so much occasion,” said the hunter, a 
little sulkily ; when he sank into a silence from which he was 
not roused for some time. 

“The Judge was saying so’thin about the French,” Hiram 
observed, when the pause in the conversation had continued a 
decent time. 

“ Yes, sir,” returned Marmaduke, “the Jacobins of France seem 
rushing from one act of licentiousness to another. They con- 
tinue those murders which are dignified by the name of 
executions. You have heard that they have added the death 
of their Queen to the long list of their crimes.” 

“ Les Monstres !” again murmured Monsieur Le Quoi, turning 
himself suddenly in his chair, with a convulsive start. 

“The province of La Vendee is laid waste by the troops of 
the republic, and hundreds of its inhabitants, who are royalists 
in their sentiments, are shot at a time. La Vendee is a district 
in the south-west of France that continues yet much attached to 
the family of the Bourbons ; doubtless Monsieur Le Quoi is 
acquainted with it, and can describe it more faithfully.” 

“Hon, non, non, mon cher ami,” returned the Frenchman, in 
a suppressed voice, but speaking rapidly, and gesticulating with 
his right hand, as if for mercy, while with his left he concealed 
his eyes. 

“ There have been many battles fought lately,” continued 
Marmaduke, “ and the infuriated republicans are too often victo- 
rious. I cannot say, however, that I am sorry they have 
captured Toulon from the English, for it is a place to which they 
have a just right.” 


THE PIONEERS. 


177 


“ Ah — ha !” exclaimed Monsieur Le Quoi, springing on his 
feet, and flourishing both arms with great animation ; “ ces 
Anglais !” 

The Frenchman continued to move about the room with 
great alacrity for a few minutes, repeating his exclamations to 
himself; when, overcome by the contradictory nature of his 
emotions, he suddenly burst out of the house, and was seen 
wading through the snow towards his little shop, waving his 
arms on high, as if to pluck down honor from the moon. His 
departure excited but little surprise, for the villagers were used 
to his manner ; but Major Hartmann laughed outright, for the 
first time during his visit, as he lifted the mug, and observed — 

“ Ter Frenchman is mat — put he is goot as for notting to 
trink ; he is trunk mit joy.” 

“ The French are good soldiers,” said Captain Hollister ; 
“ they stood us in hand a good turn, down at Yorktown ; nor 
do I think, although I am an ignorant man about the great 
movements of the army, that his Excellency would have been 
able to march against Cornwallis, without their reinforcements ” 

“ Ye spake the trut’, sargeant,” interrupted his wife, “ and I 
would iver have ye be doing the same. It’s varry pratty men 
is the French ; and jist when I stopt the cart, the time when ye 
was pushing on in front it was, to kape the rig’lers in, a rigi- 
ment of the jontlemen marched by, and so I dealt them out to 
their liking. Was it pay I got ? sure did I, and in good solid 
crowns : the divil a bit of continental could they muster among 
them all, for love nor money. Och ! the Lord forgive me for 
swearing and spakeing of such vanities : but this I will say for 
the French, that they paid in good silver ; and one glass would 
go a great way wid ’em, for they gin’rally handed it back wid a 
drop in the cup; and that’s a brisk trade, Joodge, where the 
pay is good, and the men not over partic’lar.” 

“ A thriving trade, Mrs. Hollister,” said Marmaduke. “ But 
what has become of Richard ? he jumped up as soon as seated, 
and has been absent so long that I am fearful he has frozen.” 

“ Ho fear of that, cousin ’duke,” cried the gentleman himself; 

Y* 


178 


THE riONEERS. 


“ business will sometimes keep a man warm the coldest night 
that ever snapt in the mountains. Betty, your husband told 
me, as we came out of church, that your hogs were getting 
mangy, so I have been out to take a look at them, and found it 
true. I stepped across, Doctor, and got your boy to weigh me 
out a pound of salts, and have been mixing it with their swill. 
I’ll bet a saddle of venison against a grey squirrel, that they are 
better in a week. And now, Mrs. Hollister, I’m ready for a 
hissing mug of flip.” 

“ Sure I know’d yee’d be wanting that same,” said the land- 
lady ; “ it’s mixt and ready to the boiling. Sargeant, dear, be 
handing up the iron, will ye ? — no, the one in the far fire, it’s 
black, ye will see. Ah ! you’ve the thing now ; look if it’s not 
as red as a cherry.” 

The beverage was heated, and Richard took that kind of 
draught which men are apt to indulge in, who think that they 
have just executed a clever thing, especially when they like the 
liquor. 

“ Oh ! you have a hand, Betty, that was formed to mix flip,” 
cried Richard, when he paused for breath. “ The very iron has 
a flavor in it. Here, John, drink, man, drink. I and you and 
Dr. Todd, have done a good thing with the shoulder of that lad 
this very night. ’Duke, I made a song while you were gone — 
one day when I had nothing to do ; so I’ll sing you a verse or 
two, though I haven’t really determined on the tune yet : — 

What is life but a scene of care, 

Where each one must toil in his way? 

Then let us be jolly, and prove that we are 

A set of good fellows, who seem very rare, 

And can laugh and sing all the day. 

Then let us be jolly, 

And cast away folly, 

For grief turns a black head to grey. 

There, duke, what do you think of that? There is another 
verse of it, all but the last line. I haven’t got a rhyme for the 
last line yet. ell, old John, what do you think of the music? 
as good as one of j our war songs, ha ?” 


THE PIONEERS. 


m 


u Good !” said Mohegan, who had been sharing deeply in tho 
potations of the landlady, besides paying a proper respect to the 
passing mugs of the Major and Marmaduke. 

“ Pravo ! pravo ! Richart,” cried the Major, whose black eyes 
were beginning to swim in moisture ; “ pravissimo ! it is a goot 
song ; put Natty Pumppo hast a petter. Letter-stockint, vilt 
sing ? say, olt poy, vilt sing ter song, as apout ter woots ?” 

“No, no, Major,” returned the hunter, with a melancholy 
shake of the head, “ I have lived to see what I thought eyes 
could never behold in these hills, and I have no heart left for 
singing. If he, that has a right to be master and ruler here, is 
forced to squinch his thirst, when a-dry, with snow-water, it ill 
becomes them that have lived by his bounty to be making 
merry, as if there was nothing in the world but sunshine and 
summer.” 

When he had spoken, Leather-stocking again dropped his 
head on his knees, and concealed his hard and wrinkled features 
with his hands. The change from the excessive cold without, 
to the heat of the bar-room, coupled with the depth and fre- 
quency of Richard’s draughts, had already levelled whatever 
inequality there might have existed between him and the other 
guests, on the score of spirits ; and he now held out a pair of 
swimming mugs of foaming flip towards the hunter, as he cried — 
“ Merry ! ay ! merry Christmas to you, old boy ! Sunshine 
and summer ! no ! you are blind, Leather-stocking, ’tis moon- 
shine and wiuter ; — take these spectacles, and open your eyes — 

So let us be jolly, 

And cast away folly, 

For grief turns a black head to grey. 


“ Hear how old John turns his quavers. What damned dull 
music an Indian song is, after all, Major ! I wonder if they ever 
sing by note.” 

While Richard was singing and talking, Mohegan was uttering 
dull, monotonous tones, keeping time by a gentle motion of his 
head and body. He made use of but few words, and such as 


180 


THE PIONEERS. 


he did utter were in his native language, and consequently only- 
understood by himself and Natty. Without heeding Richard, 
he continued to sing a kind of wild, melancholy air, that rose, 
at times, in sudden and quite elevated notes, and then fell again 
into the low, quavering sounds that seemed to compose the 
character of his music. 

The attention of the company was now much divided, the 
men in the rear having formed themselves into little groups, 
where they were discussing various matters ; among the princi- 
pal of which were, the treatment of mangy hogs, and Parson 
Grant’s preaching ; while Dr. Todd was endeavoring to explain 
to Marmaduke the nature of the hurt received by the young 
hunter. Mohegan continued to sing, while his countenance was 
becoming vacant, though, coupled with his thick bushy hair, it 
was assuming an expression very much like brutal ferocity. 
His notes were gradually growing louder, and soon rose to a 
height that caused a general cessation in the discourse. The 
hunter now raised his head again, and addressed the old warrior, 
warmly, in the Delaware language, which, for the benefit of our 
readers, we shall render freely into English. 

“ Why do you sing of your battles, Chingachgook, and of the 
warriors you have slain, when the worst enemy of all is near 
you, and keeps the Young Eagle from his rights ? I have fought 
in as many battles as any warrior in your tribe, but cannot 
boast of my deeds at such a time as this.” 

“ Hawk-eye,” said the Indian, tottering with a doubtful step 
from his place, “ I am the Great Snake of the Delawares ; I can 
track the Mingoes like an adder that is stealing on the whip- 
poor-will’s eggs, and strike them like the rattlesnake, dead at a 
blow. The white man made the tomahawk of Chingachgook 
bright as the waters of Otsego, when the last sun is shining; 
but it is red with the blood of the Maquas.” 

“And why have you slain the Mingo warriors? Was it not 
to keep these hunting grounds and lakes to your father’s 
children ? and were they not given in solemn council to the 
Fire-eater ? and does not the blood of a warrior run in the veins 


THE PIONEERS. 


181 


of a young chief, who should speak aloud, where his voice is 
now too low to be heard ?” 

The appeal of the hunter seemed in some measure to recall 
the confused faculties of the Indian, who turned his face towards 
the listeners and gazed intently on the Judge. He shook his 
head, throwing his hair back from his countenance, and exposed 
eyes that were glaring with an expression of wild resentment. 
But the man was not himself. His hand seemed to make a 
fruitless effort to release his tomahawk, which was confined by 
its handle to his belt, while his eyes gradually became vacant. 
Richard at that instant thrusting a mug before him, his features 
changed to the grin of idiocy, and seizing the vessel with both 
hands, he sank backward on the bench and drank until satiated, 
when he made an effort to lay aside the mug with the helpless- 
ness of total inebriety. 

“ Shed not blood !” exclaimed the hunter, as he watched the 
countenance of the Indian in its moment of ferocity ; “ but he 
is drunk, and can do no harm. This is the way with all the 
savages ; give them liquor, and they make dogs of themselves. 
Well, well — the time will come when right will be done ; and 
we must have patience.” 

Hatty still spoke in the Delaware language, and of course was 
not understood. He had hardly concluded, before Richard 
cried — 

“Well, old John is soon sowed up. Give him a berth, 
Captain, in the barn, and I will pay for it. I am rich to-night, 
ten times richer than ’duke, with all his lands, and military lots, 
and funded debts, and bonds, and mortgages. 


Come let us be jolly, 
And cast away folly, 
For grief 


Drink, King Hiram — drink, Mr. Doo-nothing — drink, sir, I say. 
This is a Christmas eve, which comes, you know, but once a 
year.” 

“ He ! ho ! he ! the squire is quite moosical to-night,” said 


182 


THE PIONEERS. 


Hiram, whose visage began to give marvellous signs of 
relaxation. “ I rather guess we shall make a church on’t yet. 
Squire ?” 

“ A church, Mr. Doolittle ! we will make a cathedral of it ! 
bishops, priests, deacons, wardens, vestry, and choir: organ, 
organist, and bellows ! By the Lord Harry, as Benjamin says, 
we will clap a steeple on the other end of it, and make two 
churches of it. What say you, ’duke, will you pay \ ha ! my 
cousin Judge, wil’t pay !” 

“ Thou makest such a noise, Dickon,” returned Marmaduke, 
“ it is impossible that I can hear what Dr. Todd is saying, — I 
think thou observed’st, it is probable the wound will fester, so as 
to occasion danger to the limb in this cold weather ?” 

“ Out of nater, sir, quite out of nater,” said Elnathan, attempt- 
ing to expectorate, but succeeding only in throwing a light, 
frothy substance, like a flake of snow, into the fire — “ quite out 
of nater, that a wound so well dressed, and with the ball in my 
pocket, should fester. I s’pose, as the Judge talks of taking the 
young man into his house, it will be most convenient if I make 
but one charge on’t.” 

“ I should think one would do,” returned Marmaduke, with 
that arch smile that so often beamed on his face ; leaving the 
beholder in doubt whether he most enjoyed the character of his 
companion, or his own covert humor. The landlord had 
succeeded in placing the Indian on some straw in one of his out- 
buildings, where, covered with his own blanket, John continued 
for the remainder of the night. 

In the meantime, Major Hartmann began to grow noisy and 
jocular ; glass succeeded glass, and mug after mug was 
introduced, until the carousal had run deep into the night, or 
rather morning ; when the veteran German expressed an 
inclination to return to the Mansion-house. Most of the party 
had already retired, but Marmaduke knew the habits of his 
friend too well to suggest an earlier adjournment. So soon, 
however, as the proposal was made, the Judge eagerly availed 
himself of it, and the trio prepared to depart. Mrs. Hollister 


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183 


attended them to the door in person, cautioning her guests as 
to the safest manner of leaving her premises. 

“Lane on Mister Jones, Major,” said she, “he’s young, and 
will be a support to ye. Well, it’s a charming sight to see ye, 
any way, at the Bould Dragoon ; and sure it’s no harm to be 
kaping a Christmas-eve wid a light heart, for it’s no telling 
when we may have sorrow come upon us. So good night, 
Joodge, and a merry Christmas to ye all, to morrow morning.” 

The gentlemen made their adieus as well as they could, and 
taking the middle of the road, which was a fine, wide, and well- 
beaten path, they did tolerably well until they reached the gate 
of the Mansion-house: but on entering the Judge’s domains, 
they encountered some slight difficulties. We shall not stop to 
relate them, but will just mention that, in the morning, sundry 
diverging paths were to be seen in the snow ; and that once 
during their progress to the door, Marmaduke, missing his 
companions, was enabled to trace them, by one of these paths, 
to a spot where he discovered them with nothing visible but 
their heads : Richard singing in a most vivacious strain, 

“ Come, let us be jolly, 

And cast away folly, 

For grief turns a black head to grey.” 


184 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER XV. 

“ As she lay, on that day, in the Bay of Biscay, O !” 

Previously to the occurrence of the scene at the u Bold 
Dragoon,” Elizabeth had been safely reconducted to the Mansion- 
house, where she was left as its mistress, either to amuse or 
employ herself during the evening, as best suited her own 
inclinations. Most of the lights were extinguished; but as 
Benjamin adjusted, with great care and regularity, four large 
candies, in as many massive candlesticks of brass, in a row on 
the sideboard, the hall possessed a peculiar air of comfort and 
warmth, contrasted with the cheerless aspect of the room she 
had left in the academy. 

Remarkable had been one of the listeners to Mr. Grant, and 
returned with her resentment, which had been not a little 
excited by the language of the Judge, somewhat softened by 
reflection and the worship. She recollected the youth of 
Elizabeth, and thought it no difficult task, under present 
appearances, to exercise that power indirectly, which hitherto 
she had enjoyed undisputed. The idea of being governed, or 
of being compelled to pay the deference of servitude, was abso- 
lutely intolerable ; and she had already determined within 
herself, some half dozen times, to make an effort, that should at 
once bring to an issue the. delicate point of her domestic 
condition. But as often as she met the dark, proud eye of 
Elizabeth, who was walking up and down the apartment, musing 
on the scenes of her youth, and the change in her condition, 
and perhaps the events of the day, the housekeeper experienced 
an awe that she would not own to herself could be excited bv 
anything mortal. It, however, checked her advances, and foi 


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185 


some time held her tongue-tied. At length she determined to 
commence the discourse, by entering on a subject that was apt 
to level all human distinctions, and in which she might display 
her own abilities. 

“ It was quite a wordy sarmon that Parson Grant gave us 
to-night,” said Remarkable. “The Church ministers be com- 
monly smart sarmonizers ; but they write down their idees, 
which is a great privilege. I don’t think that by nater, they are 
as tonguey speakers, for an off-hand discourse, as the standing- 
order ministers.” 

“ And what denomination do you distinguish as the standing- 
order ?” inquired Miss Temple, with some surprise. 

“ Why, the Presbyter’ans and Congregationals, and Baptists, 
too, for-ti-’now ; and all sitch as don’t go on their knees to 
prayer.” 

“ By that rule, then, you would call those who belong to the 
persuasion of my father, the sitting order,” observed Elizabeth. 

“ I’m sure I’ve never heard ’em spoken of by any other name 
than Quakers, so called,” returned Remarkable, betraying a 
slight uneasiness : “ I should be the last to call them otherwise, 
for I never in my life used a disparaging tarm of the Judge, or 
any of his family. I’ve always set store by the Quakers, they 
are so pretty-spoken, clever people ; and it*s a wonderment to 
me, how your father come to marry into a church family ; for 
they are as contrary in religion as can be. One sits still, and 
for the most part, says nothing, while the church folks practyse 
all kinds of ways, so that I sometimes think it quite moosical to 
see them ; for I went to a church-meeting once before, down 
country.” 

“You have found an excellence in the church liturgy that 
has hitherto escaped me. I will thank you to inquire whether 
the fire in my room burns : I feel fatigued with my journey, and 
will retire.” 

Remarkable felt a wonderful inclination to tell the young 
mistress of the mansion, that by opening a door she might see 
for herself; but prudence got the better of resentment, and 


186 


THE PIONEERS. 


after pausing some little time, as a salvo to her dignity, she did 
as desired. The report was favorable, and the young lady, 
wishing Benjamin, who was filling the stove with wood, and the 
housekeeper, each a good night, withdrew. 

The instant the door closed on Miss Temple, Remarkable 
commenced a sort of mysterious, ambiguous discourse, that was 
neither abusive nor commendatory of the qualities of the 'absent 
personage ; but which seemed to be drawing nigh, by regular 
degrees, to a most dissatisfied description. The major-domo 
made no reply, but continued his occupation with great industry, 
which being happily completed, he took a look at the thermome- 
ter, and then, opening a drawer of the sideboard, he produced 
a supply of stimulants that would have served to keep the 
warmth in his system, without the aid of the enormous fire he 
had been building. A small stand was drawn up near the 
stove, and the bottles and the glasses necessary for convenience, 
were quietly arranged. Two chairs were placed by the side of 
this comfortable situation, when Benjamin, for the first time, 
appeared to observe his companion. 

“ Come,” he cried, “ come, Mistress Remarkable, bring your- 
self to an anchor in this chair. It’s a peeler without, I can tell 
you, good woman ; but what cares I ? blow high or blow low, 
d’ye see, it’s all the same thing to Ben. The niggers are snug 
stowed below r before a fire that would roast an ox whole. The 
thermometer stands now at fifty -five, but if there’s any vartue in 
good maple w T ood, I’ll w'eather upon it, before one glass, as much 
as ten points more, so that the Squire, when he comes home 
from Betty Hollister’s warm room, will feel as hot as a hand 
that has given the rigging a lick with bad tar. Come, mistress, 
bring up in this here chair, and tell me how you like our new 
heiress.” 

“ Why, to my notion, Mr. Penguillum 

“ Pump, Pump,” interrupted Benjamin ; “ it’s Christmas-eve, 
Mistress Remarkable, and so, d’ye see, you had better call me 
Pump. It’s a shorter name, and as I mean to pump this here 
pecanter till it sucks, why you may as well call me Pump.” 


THE PIONEERS. 


187 


“ Did you ever !” cried Remarkable, with a laugh that seemed 
to unhinge every joint in her body. “You’re a moosical 
ereater, Benjamin, when the notion takes you. But as I was 
saying, 1 rather guess that times will be altered now in this 
house.” 

“ Altered !” exclaimed the major-domo, eyeing the bottle that 
was assuming the clear aspect of cut glass with astonishing 
rapidity ; “ it don’t matter much, Mistress Remarkable, so long 
as I keep the keys of the lockers in my pocket.” 

“ I can’t say,” continued the housekeeper, “ but there’s good 
eatables and drinkables enough in the house for a body’s content — 
a little more sugar, Benjamin, in the glass — for Squire Jones is an 
excellent provider. But new lords, new laws ; and I shouldn’t 
wonder if you and I had an unsartain time on’t in footer.” 

“Life is as unsartain as the wind that blows,” said Benjamin, 
with a moralizing air ; — “ and nothing is more vari’ble than the 
wind, Mistress Remarkable, unless you happen to fall in with 
the trades, d’ye see, and then you may run for the matter of a 
month at a time, with studding-sails on both sides, alow and 
aloft, and with the cabin-boy at the wheel.” 

“ I know that life is disp’ut unsartain,” said Remarkable, com- 
pressing her features to the humor of her companion ; “ but I 
expect there will be great changes made in the house to rights ; 
and that you will find a young man put over your head, as there 
is one that wants to be over mine ; and after having been 
settled as long as you have, Benjamin, I should judge that to be 
hard.” 

“ Promotion should go according to length of sarvice,” said 
the major-domo ; “ and if-so-be that they ship a hand for my 
berth, or place a new steward aft, I shall throw up my commis- 
sion in less time than you can put a pilot-boat in stays. Thof 
Squire Dickens ” — this was a common misnomer with Benja- 
min — “ is a nice gentleman, and as good a man to sail witli as 
heart could wish, yet I shall tell the Squire, d’ye see, in plain 
English, and that’s my native tongue, that if-so-be he is thinking 
of putting any Johnny Raw over my head, why I shall resign. 


188 


THE PIONEERS. 


I began forrard, Mistress Prettybones, and worked my way aft, 
like a man. I was six months aboard a Garnsey lugger, hauling 
in the slack of the lee-sheet, and coiling up rigging. From that 
I went a few trips in a fore-and-after, in the same trade, which, 
after all, was but a blind kind of sailing in the dark, where a 
man larns but little, excepting how to steer by the stars. Well, 
then, d’ye see, I larnt how a topmast should be slushed, and 
how a top-gallant-sail was to be becketted ; and then I did small 
jobs m the cabin, such as mixing the skipper’s grog. ’Twas 
there I got mjr taste, which, you must have often seen, is 
excellent. Well, here’s better acquaintance to us.” 

Remarkable nodded a return to the compliment, and took a 
sip of the beverage before her; for, provided it was well 
sweetened, she had no objection to a small potation now and 
then. After this observance of courtesy between the worthy 
couple, the dialogue proceeded. 

“ You have had great experiences in life, Benjamin ; for, as 
the Scripter says, ‘ They that go down to the sea in ships see 
the works of the Lord.’ ” 

“ Ay ! for that matter, they in brigs and schooners too ; and 
it mought say, the works of the devil. The sea, Mistress Re- 
markable, is a great advantage to a man, in the way of 
knowledge, for he sees the fashions of nations, and the shape of 
a country. Now, I suppose, for myself here, who is but an 
unlarned man to some that follows the seas, I suppose that, 
taking the coast from Cape Ler Hogue, as low down as Cape 
Finish-there, there isn’t so much as a headland, or an island, 
that I don’t know either the name of it, or something more or 
less about it. Take enough, woman, to color the water. Here’s 
sugar. It’s a sweet tooth, that fellow that you hold on upon 
yet, Mistress Prettybones. But, as I was saying, take the whole 
coast along I know it as well as the way from here to the Bold 
Dragoon ; and a devil of an acquaintance is that Bay of Biscay. 
Whew ! I wish you could but hear the wind blow there. It 
sometimes takes two to hold one man’s hair on his head. 
Scudding through the Bay is pretty much the same thing as 


THE PIONEERS. 


189 


travelling the roads in this country, up one side of a mountain, 
and down the other.” 

“ Do tell !” exclaimed Remarkable ; “ and does the sea run 
as high as mountains, Benjamin ?” 

“ Well, I will tell ; but first let ’s taste the grog. Hem ! it ’s 
the right kind of stuff, I must say, that you keep in this country, 
but then you’re so close aboard the West Indies, you make but 
a small run of it. By the lord Harry, woman, if Garnsey only 
lay somewhere between Cape Hatteras and the Bite of Logann, 
but you’d see rum cheap ! As to the seas, they runs more in 
uppers in the Bay of Biscay, unless it may be in a sow-wester, 
when they tumble about quite handsomely ; thof it ’s notin the 
narrow sea that you are to look for a swell ; just go off the 
Western Islands, in a westerly blow, keeping the land on your 
larboard hand, with the ship’s head to the south’ard, and bring 
to, under a close-reef’d topsail ; or, mayhap, a reefd foresail, 
with a fore-topmast-staysail, and mizen-staysail, to keep her up 
to the sea, if she will bear it ; and lay there for the matter of 
two watches, if you want to see mountains. Why, good 
woman, I ’ve been off there in the Boadishey frigate, when you 
could see nothing but some such matter as a piece of sky, 
mayhap, as big as the mainsail; and then again, there was a 
hole under your lee-quarter big enough to hold the whole 
British navy.” 

“ Oh ! for massy’s sake ! and wan’t you afeard, Benjamin? 
and how did you get off?” 

“ Afeard ! who the devil do you think was to be frightened 
at a little salt water tumbling about his head ? As for getting 
off, when we had enough of it, and had washed our decks down 
pretty well, we called all hands, for, d’ye see, the watch below 
was in their hammocks, all the same as if they were in one of 
your best bed-rooms ; and so we watched for a smooth time ; 
clapt her helm hard a weather, let fall the foresail, and got the 
tack aboard ; and so, when we got her afore it, I ask you, 
Mistress Prettybones, if she did n’t walk ? did n’t she ? I’m no 
liar, good woman, when I say that I saw that ship jump from 


100 


THE PIONEERS. 


tlie top of one sea to another, just like one of these squirrels, 
that can fly, jumps from tree to tree.” 

“ What, clean out of the water ! ” exclaimed Remarkable, lift- 
ing her two lank arms, with their bony hands spread in asto- 
nishment. 

“It w r as no such easy matter to get out of the water, good 
woman ; for the spray flew so that you couldn’t tell which was 
sea and which was cloud. So there we kept her afore it for 
the matter of two glasses. The first lieutenant he cun’d the 
ship himself, and there was four quarter-masters at the wheel, 
besides the master with six forecastle men in the gun-room, at 
the relieving tackles. But then she behaved herself so well ! 
Oh ! she was a sweet ship, mistress ! That one frigate was well 
worth more, to live in, than the best house in the island. If I 
was king of England, I’d have her hauled up above Lon’on 
bridge, and fit her up for a palace ; because why ? if anybody 
can afford to live comfortably, his majesty can.” ' 

“ Well ! but, Benjamin,” cried the listener, who was in an 
ecstasy of astonishment, at this relation of the steward’s 
dangers, “ what did you do ?” 

“Do! why we did our duty like hearty fellows. Now if 
the countrymen of Mounsheer Ler Quaw had been aboard of 
her, they would have just struck her ashore on some of them 
small islands 5 but we run along the land, until we found her 
dead to leeward off the mountains of Pico, and dam’me if I 
know to this day how we got there ; whether we jumped over 
the island, or hauled round it ; — but there we was, and there 
we lay, under easy sail, fore-reaching first upon one tack and 
then upon t’other, so as to poke her nose out nowand then, and 
take a look to wind’ard, till the gale blow’d its pipe out.” 

“ I wonder now ! ” exclaimed Remarkable, to whom most of 
the terms used by Benjamin were perfectly unintelligible, but 
who had got a confused idea of a raging tempest. “ It must 
be an awful life, that going to sea ! and I don’t feel astonish- 
ment that you are so affronted with the thoughts of being 
forced to quit a comfortable home like this. Not that a body 


THE PIONEERS. 


191 


cares much for’t, as there’s more houses than .one to live in. 
Why, when the Judge agreed with me to come and live with 
him, I’d no more notion of stopping any time than anything. 
I happened in, just to see how the family did, about a week 
after Miss Temple died, thinking to be back home agin night ; 
but the family was in sitch a distressed way, that I couldn’t but 
stop awhile, and help ’em on. I thought the situation a good 
one, seeing that I was an unmarried body, and they were so 
much in want of help ; so I tarried.” 

“ And a long time have you left your anchors down in the 
same place, mistress. I think you must find that the ship rides 
easy.” 

“ How you talk, Benjamin ! there’s no believing a word you 
say. I must say that the Judge and Squire Jones have both 
acted quite clever, so long ; but I see that now we shall have a 
specimen to the contrary. I heer’n say that the Judge was 
gone a great ’broad, and that he meant to bring his darter 
hum, but I didn’t calculate on sitch carrins on. To my notion, 
Benjamin, she’s likely to turn out a desput ugly gal.” 

“ Ugly ! ” echoed the major-domo, opening eyes, that were 
beginning to close in a very suspicious sleepiness, in wide amaze- 
ment. “ By the lord Harry, woman, I should as sopn think of 
calling the Boadishey a clumsy frigate. What the devil would 
you have ? arn’t her eyes as bright as the morning and eve- 
ning stars? and isn’t her hair as black and glistening as rigging 
that has just had a lick of tar ? doesn’t she move as stately .‘is 
a first rate in smooth water, on a bow-line ? Why, woman, 
the figure-head of the Boadishey was a fool to her, and that, as 
I’ve often heard the captain say, was an image of a great 
queen ; and arn’t queens always comely, woman ? for who 
do you think would be a king, and not choose a handsome 
bedfellow ? ” 

“ Talk decent, Benjamin,” said the housekeeper, “ or I won’t 
keep your company. I don’t gainsay her being comely to look 
on, but I will maintain that she’s likely to show poor conduct. 
She seems to think herself too good to talk to a body. From 


192 


THE PIONEERS. 


what Squire Jones had tell’d me, I some expected to be quite 
captivated by her company. Now, to my reckoning, Lowizy 
Grant is much more pritty behaved than Betsey Temple. She 
wouldn’t so much as hold discourse with me, when I wanted 
to ask her how she felt, on coming home and missing her 
mammy.” 

“ Perhaps she didn’t understand you, woman ; you are none 
of the best linguister ; and then Miss Lizzy has been exercising 
the King’s English under a great Lon’on lady, and, for that 
matter, can talk the language almost as well as myself, or any 
native born British subject. You’ve forgot your schooling, and 
the young mistress is a great scollard.” 

“ Mistress ! ” cried Remarkable, “ don’t make one out to be a 
nigger, Benjamin. She’s no mistress of mine, and never will 
be. And as to speech, I hold myself as second to nobody out 
of New England. I was born and raised in Essex county ; and 
I’ve always heer’n say that the Bay State was provarbal for 
pronounsation ! ” 

“ I’ve often heard of that Bay of State,” said Benjamin, 
“ but can’t say that I’ve ever been in it, nor do I know exactly 
whereaway it is that it lays; but I suppose' there is good 
anchorage in it, and that it’s no bad place for the taking of 
ling ; but for size, it can’t be so much as a yawl to a sloop of 
war, compared with the Bay of Biscay, or, mayhap, Torbay. 
And as for language, if you want to hear the dictionary 
overhauled, like a long-line in a blow, you must go to Wapping, 
and listen to the Lon’oners, as they deal out their lingo. 
Howsomever, I see no such mighty matter that Miss Lizzy has 
been doing to you, good woman, so take another drop of your 
brew, and forgive and forget, like an honest soul.” 

“ No, indeed ! and I shan’t do sitch a thing, Benjamin. 
This treatment is a newity to me, and what I won’t put up 
with. I have a hundred and fifty dollars at use, besides a bed 
and twenty sheep, to good ; and I don’t crave to live in a 
house where a body mustn’t call a young woman by her given 
name to her face. I will call her Betsey as much as I please : 


THE PIONEERS. 


193 

it’s a free country, and no one can stop me. I did intend to 
stop while summer, but I shall quit to-morrow morning ; and 
I will talk just as I please.” 

“ For that matter, Mistress Remarkable,” said Benjamin, 
“ there’s none here who will contradict you ; for I’m of opinion 
that it would be as easy to stop a huiricane with a Barcelony 
handkerchy, as to bring up your tongue when the stopper is off. 
I say, good woman, do they grow many monkeys along the 
shores of that Bay of State ? ” 

“You’re a monkey yourself, Mr. Penguillum,” cried the 
enraged housekeeper, “ or a bear ! a black, beastly bear ! and 
an’t fit for a decent woman to stay with. I’ll never keep your 
company agin, sir,' if I should live thirty years with the Judge. 
Sitch talk is more befitting the kitchen than the keeping-room 
of a house of one who is well to do in the world.” 

“Look you, Mistress Pitty — Patty — Prettybones, mayhap 
I’m some such matter as a bear, as they will find who come to 
grapple with me ; but dam’me if I’m a monkey — a thing that 
chatters without knowing a word of what it says — a parrot ; 
that will hold a dialogue, for what an honest man knows, in a 
dozen languages ; mayhap in the Bay of State lingQ ; mayhap 
in Greek or High Dutch. But dost it know what it means 
itself? canst answer me that, good woman ? Your midshipman 
can sing out, and pass the word, when the captain gives the 
order, but just set him adrift by himself, and let him work the 
ship of his own head, and stop my grog, if you don’t find all 
the Johnny Raws laughing at him.” 

“ Stop your grog, indeed ! ” said Remarkable, rising with 
great indignation, and seizing a candle ; “ you’re groggy now, 
Benjamin, and I’ll quit the room before I hear any misbecom- 
ing words from you.” ‘ 

The housekeeper retired, with a manner but little less digni- 
fied, as she thought, than the air of the heiress, muttering, 
as she drew the door after her, with a noise like the report 
of a musket, the opprobrious terms of “ drunkard,” “ sot,” and 
“ beast.” 


9 


194 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ Who’s that you say is drunk ? ” cried Benjamin, fiercely, 
rising and making a movement towards Remarkable. “ You 
talk of mustering yourself with a lady ! you’re just fit to 
grumble and find fault. Where the devil should you larn 
behaviour and dictionary ? in your damned Bay of State, ha ? ” 

Benjamin here fell back in his chair, and soon gave vent to 
certain ominous sounds, which resembled not a little the growl- 
ing of his favorite animal, the bear itself. Before, however, he 
was quite locked — to use the language that would suit the 
Della-cruscan humor of certain refined minds of the present 
day — “ in the arms of Morpheus,” he spoke aloud, observing 
due pauses between his epithets, the impressive terms of 
“ monkey,” “ parrot,” “ pic-nic,” “ tar-pot,” and “ linguisters.” 

We shall not attempt to explain his meaning, nor connect his 
sentences ; and our readers must be satisfied with our informing 
them that they were expressed with all that coolness of con- 
tempt that a man might well be supposed to feel for a monkey. 

Nearly two hours passed in this sleep before the major-domo 
was awakened by the noisy entrance of Richard, Major Hartmann, 
and the master of the mansion. Benjamin so far rallied his con- 
fused faculties, as to shape the course of the two former to their 
respective apartments, when he disappeared himself, leaving the 
task of securing the house to him who was most interested in 
its safety. Locks and bars were but little attended to in the 
early day of that settlement ; and so soon as Marmaduke had 
given an eye to the enormous fires of his dwelling, he retired. 
With this act of prudence closes the first night of our tale. 


THE PI ONEERS. 


195 


CHAPTER XVI. 


“ Watch, (aside) 
Yet stand close. 


Some treason, masters — 

Much Ado about Nothinq. 


It was fortunate for more than one of the bacchanalians who 
left the “ Bold Dragoon ” late in the evening, that the severe 
cold of the season was becoming rapidly less dangerous, as they 
threaded the different mazes through the snow-banks that led 
to their respective dwellings. Thin, driving clouds began, 
towards morning, to flit across the heavens, and the moon set 
behind a volume of vapor that was impelled furiously towards 
the north, carrying with it the softer atmosphere from the distant 
ocean. The rising sun was obscured by denser and increasing 
columns of clouds, while the southerly wind that rushed up the 
valley, brought the never-failing symptoms of a thaw. 

It was quite late in the morning before Elizabeth, observing 
the faint glow which appeared on the eastern mountain, long 
after the light of the sun had struck the opposite hills, ventured 
from the house, with a view to gratify her curiosity with a glance 
by daylight, at the surrounding objects, before the tardy revellers 
of the Christmas-eve should make their appearance at the 
breakfast-table. While she was drawing the folds of her pelisse 
more closely around her form, to guard against a cold that 
was yet great, though rapidly yielding, in the small inclosure 
that opened in the rear of the house on a little thicket of low 
pines, that were springing up where trees of a mightier growth 
had lately stood, she was surprised at the voice of Mr. Jones. 

“ Merry Christmas, merry Christmas to you, cousin Bess,” he 
shouted. “ Ah, ha ! an early riser, I see ; but I knew I should 
steal a march on you. I never was in a house yet, where I 


190 


THE PIONEERS. 


didn’t get the first Christmas greeting on every soul in it, man, 
woman, and child ; great and small ; black, white, and yellow. 
But stop a minute, till I can just slip on my coat ; you are about 
to look at the improvements, I see, which no one can explain 
so well as I, who planned them all. It will be an hour before 
’duke and the Major can sleep off Mrs. Hollister’s confounded 
distillations, and so I’ll come down and go with you.” 

Elizabeth turned, and observed her cousin in his night-cap, 
with his head out of his bed-room window, where his zeal for 
pre-eminence, in defiance of the weather, had impelled him to 
thrust it. She laughed, and promising to wait for his company, 
re-entered the house, making her appearance again, holding in 
her hand a packet that was secured by several large and 
important seals, just in time to meet the gentleman. 

“ Come, Bessy, come,” he cried, drawing one of her arms 
through his own ; “ the snow begins to give, but it will bear us 
yet. Don’t you snuff old Pennsylvania in the very air ? This 
is a vile climate, girl ; now at sunset, last evening, it was cold 
enough to freeze a man’s zeal, and that, I can tell you, takes a 
thermometer near zero for me ; then about nine or ten it began 
to moderate ; at twelve it was quite mild, and here all the rest 
of the night I have been so hot, as not to bear a blanket on the 
bed. — Holla ! Aggy, — merry Christmas, Aggy — I say, do you 
hear me, you black dog ! there’s a dollar for you ; and if the 
gentlemen get up before I come back, do you come out and let 
me know. I wouldn’t have ’duke get the start of me for the 
worth of your head.” 

The black caught the money from the snow, and promising 
a due degree of watchfulness, he gave the dollar a whirl of 
twenty feet in the air, and catching it as it fell, in the palm of 
his hand, he withdrew to the kitchen, to exhibit his present, 
with a heart as light as his face was happy in its expression. 

“ Oh, rest easy, my dear coz,” said the young lady ; “ I took 
a look in at my father, who is likely to sleep an hour ; and, by 
using due vigilance, you will secure all the honors of the season.” 

“ Why, ’duke is your father, Elizabeth ; but ’duke is a man 


THE PIONEERS. 


197 


who likes to be foremost, even in trifles. Now, as for myself, I 
care for no such things, except in the way of competition ; for a 
thing which is of no moment in itself, may be made of importance 
in the way of competition. So it is with your father — he loves 
to be first ; but I only struggle with him as a competitor.” 

“ It’s all very clear, sir,” said Elizabeth ; “ you would not care 
a fig for distinction if there were no one in the world but your- 
self ; but as there happen to be a great many others, why you 
must struggle with them all — in the way of competition.” 

“ Exactly so ; I see you are a clever girl, Bess, and one who 
does credit to her masters. It was my plan to send you to that 
school ; for when your father first mentioned the thing, I wrote 
a private letter for advice to a judicious friend in the city, who 
recommended the very school you went to. ’Duke was a little 
obstinate at first, as usual, but when he heard the truth, he was 
obliged to send you.” 

“ Well, a truce to ’duke’s foibles, sir ; he is my father ; and 
if you knew what he has been doing for you while we were 
in Albany, you would deal more tenderly with his character.” 

“ For me !” cried Richard, pausing a moment in his walk to 
reflect. “ Oh ! he got the plans of the new Dutch meeting- 
house for me, I suppose ; but I care very little about it, for a 
man of a certain kind of talent is seldom aided by any foreign 
suggestions : his own brain is the best architect.” 

“No such thing,” said Elizabeth, looking provokingly know- 
ing. 

“ No ! let me see — perhaps he had my name put in the bill 
for the new turnpike, as a director.” 

“ He might possibly ; but it is not to such an appointment 
that I allude.” 

“ Such an appointment !” repeated Mr. Jones, who began to 
fidget with curiosity ; “ then it is an appointment. If it is in 
the militia, I wont take it.” 

“ No, no, it is not in the militia,” cried Elizabeth, showing 
the packet in her hand, and then drawing it back with a 
coquettish air ; “ it is an office of both honor and emolument.” 


198 


• THE PIONEERS. 


11 Honor and emolument !” echoed Richard, in painful sus- 
pense ; “ show me the paper, girl. Say, is it an office where 
there is anything to do ?” 

“ You have hit it, cousin Dickon ; it is the executive office 
of the county ; at least so said my father, when he gave me 
this packet to offer you as a Christmas-box. — ‘ Surely if any- 
thing will please Dickon,’ he said, 1 it will be to fill the execu- 
tive chair of the county.’ ” 

“ Executive chair ! what nonsense !” cried the impatient 
gentleman, snatching the packet from her hand ; “ there is no 
such office in the county. Eh ! what ! it is, I declare, a com- 
mission, appointing Richard Jones, Esquire, sheriff of the county. 
Well, this is kind in ’duke, positively. I must say ’duke has a 
warm heart, and never forgets his friends. Sheriff! High 

Sheriff of ! It sounds well, Bess, but it shall execute 

better. ’Duke is a judicious man after all, and knows human 
nature thoroughly. I’m much obliged to him,” continued 
Richard, using the skirt of his coat unconsciously, to wipe his 
eyes ; “ though I would do as much for him any day, as he 
shall see, if I have an opportunity to perform any of the duties 
of my office on him. It shall be done, cousin Bess — it shall be 
done, I say. — How this cursed south wind makes one’s eyes 
water !” 

“ Now, Richard,” said the laughing maiden, “ now I think 
you will find something to do. I have often heard you com- 
plain of old, that there was nothing to do in this new country, 
while to my eyes it seemed as if everything remained to be 
done.” 

“ Do !” echoed Richard, who blew his nose, raised his little 
form to its greatest elevation, and looked serious. “ Everything 
depends on system, girl. I shall sit down this afternoon, and 
systematize the county. I must have deputies, you know. I 
will divide the county into districts, over which I will place my 
deputies ; and I will have one for the village, which I will call 
my home department. Let me see — oh ! Benjamin ! yes, 
Benjamin will make a good deputv ; he has been naturalized, 


THE PIONEERS. 


199 


and would answer admirably, if he could only ride on horse- 
back.” 

“ Yes, Mr. Sheriff,” said his companion ; “ and as he under- 
stands ropes so well, he would be very expert, should occasion 
happen for his services, in another way.” 

“ No,” interrupted the other, “ I flatter myself that no man 
could hang a man better than — that is — ha — oh ! yes, Benjamin 
would do extremely well, in such an unfortunate dilemma, if 
he could be persuaded to attempt it. But I should despair of 
the thing. I never could induce him to hang, or teach him to 
ride on horseback. I must seek another deputy.” 

“Well, sir, as you have abundant leisure for all these import- 
ant affairs, I beg that you will forget that you are High Sheriff, 
and devote some little of your time to gallantry. Where are 
the beauties and improvements which you were to show me ?” 

“ Where ? why everywhere. Here I have laid out some 
new streets ; and when they are opened, and the trees felled, 
and they are all built up, will they not make a fine town? 
Well, ’duke is a liberal hearted fellow, with all his stubborn- 
ness. — Yes, yes, I must have at least four deputies, besides a 
jailor.” 

“ I see no streets in the direction of our walk,” said Elizabeth, 
“ unless you call the short avenues through these pine bushes 
by that name. Surely you do not contemplate building houses, 
very soon, in that forest before us, and in those swamps.” 

“We must run our streets by the compass, coz, and disregard 
trees, hills, ponds, stumps, or, in fact, anything but posterity. 
Such is the will of your father, and your father, you know ■” 

“ Had you made Sheriff, Mr. Jones,” interrupted the lady, 
with a tone that said very plainly to the gentleman, that he 
was touching a forbidden subject. 

“ I know it, I know it,” cried Richard ; “ and if it were in my 
power, I’d make ’duke a king. He is a noble hearted fellow, 
/ind would make an excellent king ; that is, if he had a good 
crime minister. — But who have we here ? voices in the bushes 


200 


THE PIONEERS. 


a combination about mischief, I’ll wager my commission. Let 
us draw near, and examine a little into the matter.” 

During this dialogue, as the parties had kept in motion, 
Richard and his cousin advanced some distance from the house, 
into the open space in the rear of the village, where, as may be 
gathered from the conversation, streets were planned, and future 
dwellings contemplated ; but where, in truth, the only mark of 
improvement that was to be seen, was a neglected clearing 
along the skirt of a dark forest of mighty pines, over which the 
bushes or sprouts of the same tree had sprung up, to a height 
that interspersed the fields of snow with little thickets of ever- 
green. The rushing of the wind, as it whistled through the 
tops of these mimic trees, prevented the footsteps of the pair 
from being heard, while the branches concealed their persons. 
Thus aided, the listeners drew nigh to a spot where the young 
hunter, Leather-stocking, and the Indian chief, were collected 
in an earnest consultation. The former was urgent in his man- 
ner, and seemed to think the subject of deep importance, while 
Natty appeared to listen with more than his usual attention, to 
what the other was saying. Mohegan stood a little on one 
side, with his head sunken on his chest, his hair falling forward, 
so as to conceal most of his features, and his whole attitude 
expressive of deep dejection, if not of shame. 

“ Let us withdraw,” whispered Elizabeth ; “ we are intruders, 
and can have no right to listen to the secrets of these men.” 

“ No right !” returned Richard, a little impatiently, in the 
same tone, and drawing her arm so forcibly through his own as 
to prevent her retreat ; “ you forget, cousin, that it is my duty 
to preserve the peace of the county, and see the laws executed. 
These wanderers frequently commit depredations ; though I do 
not think John would do anything secretly. Poor fellow ! he 
was quite boozy last night, and hardly seems to be over it yet. 
Let us draw nigher, and hear what they say.” 

Notwithstanding the lady’s reluctance, Richard, stimulated 
doubtless by his nice sense of duty, prevailed ; and they were 
soon so near as distinctly to hear sounds. 


THE PIONEERS. 


201 


“ The bird must be had,” said Natty, “by fair means or foul. 
Heigho ! I’ve known the time, lad, when the wild turkeys 
wasn’t over scarce in the country ; though you must go into the 
Virginy gaps, if you want them now. To be sure, there is a 
different taste to a partridge, and a well-fatted turkey ; though, 
to my eating, beaver’s tail and bear’s hams makes the best of 
food. But then every one has his own appetite. I gave the 
last farthing, all to that shilling, to the French trader, this very 
morning, as I came through the town, for powder ; so, as you 
have nothing, we can have but one shot for it. I know that 
Billy Kirby is out, and means to have a pull of the trigger at 
that very turkey. John has a true eye for a single fire, and 
somehow, my hand shakes so whenever I have to do anything 
extrawnary, that I often lose my aim. Now, when I killed the 
slie-bear this fall, with her cubs, though they were so mighty 
ravenous, I knocked them over one at a shot, and loaded while 
I dodged the trees in the bargain ; but this is a very different 
thing, Mr. Oliver.” 

“ This,” cried the young man with an accent that sounded as 
if he took a bitter pleasure in his poverty, while he held a 
shilling up before his eyes — “this is all the treasure that I 
possess — this and my rifle ! Now, indeed, I have become a man 
of the woods, and must place my sole dependence on the chase. 
Come, Natty, let us stake the last penny for the bird ; with 
your aim, it cannot fail to be successful.” 

“ I would rather it should be John, lad ; my heart jumps 
into my mouth, because you set your mind so much on’t ; and 
I’m sartain that I shall miss the bird. Them Indians can shoot 
one time as well as another ; nothing ever troubles them. I 
say, John, here’s a shilling ; take my rifle, and get a shot at 
the big turkey they’ve put up at the stump. Mr. Oliver is over 
anxious for the creater, and I’m sure to do nothing when I have 
over anxiety about it.” 

The Indian turned his head gloomily, and, after looking 
keenly for a moment, in profound silence, at his companions, he 
replied — 


9 * 


202 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ When John was young, eyesight was not straighter than 
his bullet. The Mingo squaws cried out at the sound of his 
rifle. The Mingo warriors were made squaws. When did he 
ever shoot twice ! The eagle went above the clouds, when he 
passed the wigwam of Chingachgook ; his feathers were plenty 
with the women. But see,” he said, raising his voice from the 
low, mournful tones in which he had spoken, to a pitch of keen 
excitement, and stretching forth both hands — “ they shake like 
a deer at the wolf’s howl. Is John old ? When was a Mohican 
a squaw, with seventy winters ! No ! the white man brings old 
age with him — rum is his tomahawk !” 

“ Why then do you use it, old man ?” exclaimed the young 
hunter ; “ why will one, so noble by nature, aid the devices of 
the devil, by making himself a beast !” 

“ Beast ! is John a beast ?” replied the Indian, slowly ; “ yes ; 
you say no lie, child of the Fire-eater ! John is a beast. The 
smokes were once few in these hills. The deer would lick the 
hand of a white man, and the birds rest on his head. They 
were strangers to him. My fathers came from the shores of the 
salt lake. They fled before rum. They came to their grand- 
father, and they lived in peace ; or, when they did raise the 
hatchet, it was to strike it into the brain of a Mingo. They 
gathered around the council -fire, and what they said was done. 
Then John was the man. But warriors and traders with light 
eyes followed them. One brought the long knife, and one 
brought rum. They were more than the pines on the moun- 
tains ; and they broke up the councils, and took the lands. 
The evil spirit was in their jugs, and they let him loose. Yes, 
yes — you say no lie, Young Eagle ; John is a Christian beast.” 

“Forgive me, old warrior,” cried the youth, grasping his 
hand ; “ I should be the last to reproach you. The curses of 
heaven light on the cupidity that has destroyed such a race. 
Remember, John, that I am of your family, and it is now my 
greatest pride.” 

The muscles of Mohegan relaxed a little, and he said, more 
mildly — 


T1IE PIONEERS. 


203 


u You are a Delaware, my son ; your words are not heard — 
John cannot shoot.” 

“ I thought that lad had Indian blood in him,” whispered 
Richard, “ by the awkward way he handled my horses last 
night. You see, coz, they never use harness. But the poor 
fellow shall have two shots at the turkey, if he wants it, for I’ll 
give him another shilling myself ; though, perhaps, I had better 
offer to shoot for him. They have got up their Christmas 
sports, I find, in the bushes yonder, where you hear the 
laughter ; — though it is a queer taste this chap has for turkey ; 
not but what it is good eating too.” 

“ Hold, cousin Richard,” exclaimed Elizabeth, clinging to his 
arm, “would it be delicate to offer a shilling to that gentleman ?” 

“ Gentleman again ! do you think a half-breed, like him, will 
refuse money? No, no, girl, he will take the shilling; ay ! and 
even rum too, notwithstanding he moralizes so much about it. 
But I’ll give the lad a chance for his turkey, for that Billy 
Kirby is one of the best marksmen in the country ; that is, if we 
except the — the gentleman.” 

“ Then,” said Elizabeth, who found her strength unequal to 
her will, “ then, sir, I will speak.” She advanced, with an air 
of determination, in front of her cousin, and entered the little 
circle of bushes that surrounded the trio of hunters. Her 
appearance startled the youth, who at first made an unequivocal 
motion towards retiring, but, recollecting himself, bowed, by 
lifting his cap, and resumed his attitude of leaning on his rifle. 
Neither Natty nor Mohegan betrayed any emotion, though the 
appearance of Elizabeth was so entirely unexpected. 

w I find,” she said, “ that the old Christmas sport of shooting 
the turkey is yet in use among you. I feel inclined to try my 
chance for a bird. Which of you will take this money, and, 
after paying my fee, give me the aid of his rifle ?” 

“ Is this a sport for a lady ?” exclaimed the young hunter, 
with an emphasis that could not well be mistaken, and with a 
rapidity that showed he spoke without consulting anything but 
feeling. 


2C4 


THE PIO NEER S. 


“"Why not, sir? If it be inhuman, the sin is not confined 
to one sex only. But I have my humor as well as others. 
I ask not your assistance; but” — turning to Natty, and 
dropping a dollar in his hand — “ this old veteran of the forest 
will not be so ungallant as to refuse one fire for a lady.” 

Leather-stocking dropped the money into his pouch, and 
throwing up the end of his rifle, he freshened his priming ; and, 
first laughing in his usual manner, he threw the piece over his 
shoulder, and said — 

“If Billy Kirby don’t get the bird before me, and the 
Frenchman’s powder don’t hang fire this damp morning, you’ll 
see as fine a turkey dead, in a few minutes, as ever was eaten in 
the Judge’s shanty. I have know’d the Dutch women, on the 
Mohawk and Schoharie, count greatly on coming to the merry- 
makings ; and so, lad, you shouldn’t be short with the lady. 
Come, let us go forward, for if we wait, the finest bird will be 
gone.” 

“But I have a right before you, Natty, and shall try my own 
luck first. You will excuse me, Miss Temple; I have much 
reason to wish that bird, and may seem ungallant, but I must 
claim my privileges.” 

“ Claim anything that is justly your own, sir,” returned the 
lady ; “ we are both adventurers ; and this is my knight. I 
trust my fortune to his hand and eye. Lead on, Sir Leather- 
stocking, and we will follow.” 

Natty, who seemed pleased with the frank address of the 
young and beauteous Elizabeth, who had so singularly intrusted 
him with such a commission, returned the bright smile with 
which she had addressed him, by his own peculiar mark of 
mirth, and moved across the snow, towards the spot whence the 
sounds of boisterous mirth proceeded, with the long strides of a 
hunter. His companions followed in silence, the youth casting 
frequent and uneasy glances towards Elizabeth, who was detained 
by a motion from Richard. 

“ I should think, Miss Temple,” he said, so soon as the others 
were out of hearing, “ that if you really wished a turkey, you 


THE PIONEERS. 


205 


would not have taken a stranger for the office, and such a one 
as Leather-stocking. But I can hardly believe that you are 
serious, for I have fifty at this moment shut up in the coops, in 
every stage of fat, so that you might choose any quality you 
pleased. There are six that I am trying an experiment on, by 
giving them brick-bats with ” 

“ Enough, cousin Dickon,” interrupted the lady ; “I do 
wish the bird, and it is because I so wish, that I commissioned 
this Mr. Leather-stocking.” 

“ Did you ever hear of the great shot that I made at the 
wolf, cousin Elizabeth, who was carrying off your father’s 
sheep ? ” said Richard, drawing himself up into an air of dis- 
pleasure. “ He had the sheep on his back ; and had the head 
of the wolf been on the other side, I should have killed him 
dead ; as it was ” 

“ You killed the sheep, — I know it all, dear coz. But would 

it have been decorous for the High Sheriff of to mingle in 

such sports as these ? ” 

“ Surely you did not think that I intended actually to fire 
with my own hands ? ” said Mr. Jones. “ But let us follow, and 
see the shooting. There is no fear of anything unpleasant 
occurring to a female in this new country, especially to your 
father’s daughter, and in my presence.” 

“ My father’s daughter fears nothing, sir, more especially 
when escorted by the highest executive officer in the county.” 

She took his arm, and he led her through the mazes of the 
bushes to the spot where most of the young men of the village 
were collected for the sports of shooting a Christmas match, 
and whither Natty and his companions had already preceded 
them. 


206 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER XVTT. 

I guess, by all this quaint array, 

The burghers hold their sports to day. 

Scott. 

The ancient amusement of shooting the Christmas turkey is 
one of the few sports that the settlers of a new country seldom 
or never neglect to observe. It was connected with the daily 
practices of a people who often laid aside the axe or the scythe 
to seize the rifle, as the deer glided through the forests they 
were felling, or the bear entered their rough meadows to scent 
the air of a clearing, and to scan, with a look of sagacity, the 
progress of the invader. 

On the present occasion, the usual amusement of the day 
had been a little hastened, in order to allow a fair opportunity 
to Mr. Grant, whose exhibition was not less a treat to the young 
sportsmen, than the one which engaged their present attention. 
The owner of the birds was a free black, who had prepared for 
the occasion a collection of game that was admirably qualified 
to inflame the appetite of an epicure, and was well adapted to 
the means and skill of the different competitors, who were of all 
ages. He had offered to the younger and more humble marks- 
men divers birds of an inferior quality, and some shooting had 
already taken place, much to the pecuniary advantage of the 
sable owner of the game. The order of the sports was 
extremely simple, and well understood. The bird was fastened 
by a string to the stump of a large pine, the side of which, 
towards the point where the marksmen were placed, had been 
flattened with an axe, in order that it might serve the purpose 
of a target by which the merit of each individual might be 
ascertained. The distance between the stump and shooting- 


THE PIONEERS. 


207 


stand was one hundred measured yards : a foot more or a foot 
less being thought an invasion of the right of one of the 
parties. The negro affixed his own price to every bird, and 
the terms of the chance ; but when these were once established, 
he was obliged by the strict principles of public justice that 
prevailed in the country, to admit any adventurer who might 
offer. 

The throng consisted of some twenty or thirty young men, 
most of whom had rifles, and a collection of all the boys in the 
village. The little urchins, clad in coarse but warm garments, 
stood gathered around the more distinguished marksmen, with 
their hands stuck under their waistbands, listening eagerly to 
the boastful stories of skill that had been exhibited on former 
occasions, and were already emulating in their hearts these 
wonderful deeds in gunnery. 

The chief speaker was the man who had been mentioned by 
Natty as Billy Kirby. This fellow, whose occupation when he 
did labor, was that of clearing lands, or chopping jobs, was of 
great stature, and carried, in his very air, the index of his 
character. He was a noisy, boisterous, reckless lad, whose 
good-natured eye contradicted the bluntness and bullying tenor 
of his speech. For weeks he would lounge around the taverns 
of the county, in a state of perfect idleness, or doing small jobs 
for his liquor and his meals, and cavilling with applicants about 
the prices of his labor : frequently preferring idleness to an 
abatement of a tittle of his independence, or a cent in his wages. 
But when these embarrassing points were satisfactorily arranged, 
he would shoulder his axe and his rifle, slip his arms through 
the straps of his pack, and enter the woods with the tread of 
a Hercules. His first object was to learn his limits, round 
which he would pace, occasionally freshening, with a blow of 
his axe, the marks on the boundary trees ; and then he would 
proceed with an air of great deliberation, to the centre of his 
premises, and, throwing aside his superfluous garments, measure, 
with a knowing eye, one or two of the nearest trees that were 
towering apparently into the very clouds as he gazed upwards. 


208 


THE PIONEERS. 


Commonly selecting one of the most noble for the first trial of 
his power, he would approach it with a listless air, whistling a 
low tune ; and wielding his axe with a certain flourish, not 
unlike the salutes of a fencing master, he would strike a light 
blow into the bark, and measure his distance. The pause that 
followed was ominous of the fall of the forest which had flou- 
rished there for centuries. The heavy and brisk blows that he 
struck were soon succeeded by the thundering report of the 
tree, as it came, first cracking and threatening, with the separa- 
tion of its own last ligaments, then threshing and tearing with 
its branches the tops of its surrounding brethren, and finally 
meeting the ground with a shock but little inferior to an 
earthquake. From that moment the sounds of the axe were 
ceaseless, while the falling of the trees was like a distant 
cannonading ; and the daylight broke into the depths of the 
woods with the suddenness of a winter morning. 

For days, weeks, nay months, Billy Kirby would toil with 
an ardor that evinced his native spirit, and with an effect that 
seemed magical, until, his chopping being ended, his stentorian 
lungs could be heard emitting sounds, as he called to his 
patient oxen, which rang through the hills like the cries of an 
alarm. He had been often heard, on a mild summer’s evening, 
a long mile across the vale of Templeton ; when the echoes 
from the mountains would take up his cries, until they died 
away in feeble sounds from the distant rocks that overhung the 
lake. His piles, or to use the language of the country, his 
logging, ended, with a despatch that could only accompany his 
dexterity and Herculean strength, the jobber would collect 
together his implements of labor, light the heaps of timber 
and march away under the blaze of the prostrate forest, like 
the conqueror of some city, who, having first prevailed over his 
adversary, applies the torch as the finishing blow to his conquest. 
For a long time Billy Kirby would then be seen, sauntering 
around the taverns, the rider of scrub-races, the bully of cock- 
fights, and not unfrequently the hero of such sports as the one 
in hand. 


THE PIONEERS. 


209 


Between him and the Leather-stocking, there had long 
existed a jealous rivalry on the point of skill with the rifle. 
Notwithstanding the long practice of Natty, it was commonly 
supposed that the steady nerves and quick eye of the wood- 
chopper rendered him his equal. The competition had, how- 
ever, been confined hitherto to boastings, and comparisons made 
from their success in various hunting excursions ; but this was 
the first time that they had ever come in open collision. A 
good deal of higgling about the price of the choicest bird had 
taken place between Billy Kirby and its owner before Natty and 
his companions rejoined the sportsmen. It had, however, been 
settled at one shilling* a shot, which was the highest sum ever 
exacted, the black taking care to protect himself from losses as 
much as possible, by the conditions of the sport. The turkey 
was already fastened at the “ mark,” but its body was entirely 
hid by the surrounding snow, nothing being visible but its red 
swelling head and its long neck. If the bird was injured by 
any bullet that struck below the snow, it was to continue the 
property of its present owner ; but if a feather was touched in a 
visible part, the animal became the prize of the successful 
adventurer. 

These terms were loudly proclaimed by the negro, who was 
seated in the snow, in a somewhat hazardous vicinity to his 
favorite bird, when Elizabeth and her cousin approached the 
noisy sportsmen. The sounds of mirth and contention sensibly 
lowered at this unexpected visit; but, after a moment’s pause, 
the curious interest exhibited in the face of the young lady, 
together with her smiling air, restored the freedom of the 
morning ; though it was somewhat chastened, both in language 
and vehemence, by the presence of -such a spectator. 

“ Stand out of the way there, boys 1” cried the wood-chopper, 


* Before the revolution, each province had its own money of account, though 
neither coined any but copper pieces. In New York the Spanish dollar was 
divided into eight shillings, each of the value of a fraction more than sixpence 
sterling. At present the Union has provided a decimal system, with coins to 
represent it. 


210 


THE PIONEERS. 


who was placing himself at the shooting point — “ stand out of 
the way, you little rascals, or I will shoot through you. Now 
Brom, take leave of your turkey.” 

“ Stop !” cried the young hunter ; “ I am a candidate for a 
chance. Here is my shilling, Brom ; I wish a shot too.” 

“ You may wish it in welcome,” cried Kirby, “ but if I ruffle 
the gobbler’s feathers, how are you to get it ? Is money so 
plenty in your deer-skin pocket, that you pay for a chance that 
you may never have ?” 

“ How know you, sir, how plenty money is in my pocket ?” 
said the youth fiercely. “ Here is my shilling, Brom, and I 
claim a right to shoot.” 

“ Don’t be crabbed, my boy,” said the other, who was very 
coolly fixing his flint. “ They say you have a hole in your left 
shoulder, yourself : so I think Brom may give you a fire for 
half price. It will take a keen one to hit that bird, I can tell 
you, my lad, even if I give you a chance, which is what I have 
no mind to do.” 

“ Don’t be boasting, Billy Kirby,” said Natty, throwing the 
breech of his rifle into the snow, and leaning on its barrel ; 
“ you’ll get but one shot at the creater, for if the lad misses his 
aim, which wouldn’t be a wonder if he did, with his arm so stiff 
and sore, you’ll find a good piece and an old eye coming a’ter 
you. Maybe it’s true that I can’t shoot as I used to could, but 
a hundred yards is a short distance for a long rifle.” 

“VVliat, old Leather-stocking, are you out this morning?” 
cried his reckless opponent. “ Well, fair play’s a jewel. I’ve 
the lead of you, old fellow ; so here goes for a dry throat or a 
good dinner.” 

The countenance of the negro evinced not only all the 
interest which his pecuniary adventure might occasion, but also 
the keen excitement that the sport produced in the others, 
though with a very different wish as to the result. While 
the wood-chopper was slowly and steadily raising his rifle, he 
bawled — 

“ Fair play, Billy Kirby — stand back — make ’em stand back, 


THE PIONEERS. 


211 


boy s — gib a nigger fair play — poss-up, gobbler ; shake a head, 
fool ; don’t you see ’em taking aim ?” 

These cries, which were intended as much to distract the 
attention of the marksman as for anything else, were fruitless. 

The nerves of the wood-chopper were not so easily shaken, 
and he took his aim with the utmost deliberation. Stillness 
prevailed for a moment, and he fired. The head of the turkey 
was seen to dash on one side, and its wings were spread in 
momentary fluttering ; but it settled itself down calmly into its 
bed of snow, and glanced its eyes uneasily around. For a time 
loDg enough to draw a deep breath, not a sound was heard. 
The silence was then broken by the noise of the negro, who 
laughed, and shook his body, with all kinds of antics, rolling 
over in the snow in the excess of delight. 

“ Well done a gobbler,” he cried, jumping up and affecting 
to embrace his bird ; “ I tell ’em to poss-up, and you see ’em 
dodge. Gib anoder shillin, Billy, and hab anoder shot.” 

“ No — the shot is mine,” said the young hunter ; “you have 
my money already. Leave the mark, and let me try my luck.” 

“ Ah ! it’s but money thrown away, lad,” said Leather-stocking. 
“ A turkey’s head and neck is but a small mark for a new hand 
and a lame shoulder. You’d best let me take the fire, and 
maybe we can make some settlement with the lady about the 
bird.” 

“ The chance is mine,” said the young hunter. “ Clear the 
ground, that I may take it.” 

The discussions and disputes concerning the last shot were 
now abating, it having been determined that if the turkey’s head 
had been anywhere but just where it was at the moment, the 
bird must certainly have been killed. There was not much 
excitement produced by the preparations of the youth, who 
proceeded in a hurried manner to take his aim, and was in the 
act of pulling the trigger, when he was stopped by Natty. 

“ Your hand shakes, lad,” he said, “ and you seem over eager. 
Bullet wounds are apt to weaken flesh, and to my judgment, 
you’ll not shoot so well as in common. If you will fire, you 


212 


THE PIONEERS. 


should shoot quick, before there is time to shake off the 
aim.” 

“Fair play,” again shouted the negro; “fair play — gib a nig- 
ger fair play. What right a Nat-Bumppo advise a young 
man ? Let ’em shoot — clear a ground.” 

The youth fired with great rapidity, but no motion was 
made by the turkey ; and when the examiners for the ball 
returned from the “ mark,” they declared that he had missed 
the stump. 

Elizabeth observed the change in his countenance, and could 
not help feeling surprise, that one so evidently superior to 
his companions should feel a trifling loss so sensibly. But her 
own champion was now preparing to enter the lists. 

The mirth of Brom, which had been again excited, though in 
a much smaller degree than before, by the failure of the second 
adventurer, vanished the instant Natty took his stand. His 
skin became mottled with large brown spots, that fearfully sullied 
the lustre of his native ebony, while his enormous lips gradually 
compressed around two rows of ivory that had hitherto been 
shining in his visage, like pearls set in jet. His nostrils, at all 
times the most conspicuous features of his face, dilated, until 
they covered the greater part of the diameter of his countenance ; 
while his brown and bony hands unconsciously grasped the 
snow-crust near him, the excitement of the moment completely 
overcoming his native dread of cold. 

While these indications of apprehension were exhibited in the 
sable owner of the turkey, the man who gave rise to this extra- 
ordinary emotion was as calm and collected as if there was not 
to be a single spectator of his skill. 

“ I was down in the Dutch settlements on the Schoharie,” said 
Natty, carefully removing the leather guard from the lock of 
his rifle, “just before the breaking out of the last war, and there 
was a shooting match among the boys ; so I took a hand. I 
think I opened a good many Dutch eyes that day ; for I won 
the powder-horn, three bars of load, and a pound of as good 
powder as ever flashed in pan. Lord ! how they did swear in 


THE PI 0 NEERS. 


213 


Jarman ! They did tell me of one drunken Dutchman who said 
he’d have the life of me before I got back to the lake ag’in. But 
if he had put his rifle to his shoulder with evil intent God would 
have punished him for it ; and even if the Lord didn’t, and he 
had missed his aim, I know one that would have given him as 
good as he sent, and better too, if good shooting could come 
into the ’count.” 

By this time the old hunter was ready for his business, and 
throwing his right leg far behind him, and stretching his left arm 
along the barrel of his piece, he raised it towards the bird. 
Every eye glanced rapidly from the marksman to the mark ; but 
at the moment when each ear was expecting the report of the 
rifle, they were disappointed by the ticking sound of the flint. 

“ A snap, a snap !” shouted the negro, springing from his 
crouching posture like a madman, before his bird. “A snap 
good as fire — Natty Bumppo gun he snap — Natty Bumppo miss 
a turkey !” 

“ Natty Bumppo hit a nigger,” said the indignant old hunter, 
“ if you don’t get out of the way, Brom. It’s contrary to the 
reason of the thing, boy, that a snap should count for a fire, 
when one is nothing more than a fire-stone striking a steel pan, 
and the other is sudden death ; so get out of my way, boy, and 
let me show Billy Kirby how to shoot a Christmas turkey.” 

“ Gib a nigger fair play !” cried the black, who continued 
resolutely to maintain his post, and making that appeal to the 
justice of his auditors, which the degraded condition of his caste 
so naturally suggested. “ Ebery body know dat snap as good 
as fire. Leab it to Massa Jone — leab it to lady.” 

“ Sartain,” said the w r ood-chopper ; “ it’s the law of the game 
in this part of the country, Leather-stocking. If you fire ag’in 
you must pay up the other shilling. I b’lieve I’ll try luck once 
more myself ; so Brom, here’s my money, and I take the next 
fire.” 

“ It’s likely you know the laws of the woods better than 1 
do, Billy Kirby,” returned Natty. “You come in with the 
settlers, with an ox-goad in your hand, and I come in with moc- 


214 


THE PIONEERS. 


casins on my feet, and witli a good rifle on my shoulders, so long 
back as afore the old war. Which is likely to know the best ? 
I say no man need tell me that snapping is as good as firing 
when I pull the trigger.” 

“ Leab it to Massa Jone,” said the alarmed negro ; “ he know 
ebery ting.” 

This appeal to the knowledge of Richard was too flattering to 
be unheeded. He therefore advanced a little from the spot 
whither the delicacy of Elizabeth had induced her to withdraw, 
and gave the following opinion, with the gravity that the subject 
and his own rank demanded : — 

“ There seems to be a difference in opinion,” he said, “on the 
subject of Nathaniel Bumppo’s right to shoot at Abraham 
Freeborn’s turkey, without the said Nathaniel paying one shilling 
for the privilege.” This fact was too evident to be denied, and 
after pausing a moment, that the audience might digest his 
premises, Richard proceeded. “ It seems proper that I should 
decide this question, as I am bound to preserve the peace of the 
county ; and men with deadly weapons in their hands should 
not be heedlessly left to contention, and their own malignant 
passions. It appears that there was no agreement, either in 
writing or in words, on the disputed point ; therefore we must 
reason from analogy, which is, as it were, comparing one thing 
with another. Now, in duels, where both parties shoot, it is 
generally the rule that a snap is a fire ; and if such is the rule, 
where the party has a right to fire back again, it seems to me 
unreasonable to say, that a man may stand snapping at a 
defenceless turkey all day. I therefore am of opinion that 
Nathaniel Bumppo has lost his chance, and must pay another 
shilling before he renews his right.” 

As this opinion came from so high a quarter, and was 
delivered with effect, it silenced all murmurs, — for the whole of 
the spectators had begun to take sides with great warmth, — 
except from the Leather-stocking himself. 

“I think Miss Elizabeth’s thoughts should be taken,” said 
Natty. “ I’ve known the squaws give very good counsel when 


THE PIONEERS. 


215 


the Indians have been dumbfoundered. If she says that I 
ought to lose, I agree to give it up.” 

“ Then I adjudge you to be a loser for this time,” said Miss 
Temple ; “ but pay your money and renew your chance ; unless 
Brom will sell me the bird for a dollar. I will give him the 
money, and save the life of the poor victim.” 

This proposition was evidently but little relished by any of 
the listeners, even the negro feeling the evil excitement of the 
chances. In the meanwhile, as Billy Kirby was preparing him- 
self for another shot, Natty left the stand, with an extremely 
dissatisfied manner, muttering — 

“ There hasn’t been such a thing as a good flint sold at the 
foot of the lake since the Indian traders used to come into the 
country ; and if a body should go into the flats along the 
streams in the hills to hunt for such a thing, it’s ten to one but 
they will be all covered up with the plough. Heigho ! it seems 
to me that just as the game grows scarce, and a body wants the 
best ammunition to get a livelihood, everything that’s bad falls 
on him, like a judgment. But I’ll change the stone, for Billy 
Kirby hasn’t the eye for such a mark, I know.” 

The wood-chopper seemed now entirely sensible that his 
reputation depended on his care ; nor did he neglect any means 
to insure success. He drew up his rifle, and renewed his aim 
again and again, still appearing reluctant to fire. No sound 
was heard from even Brom, during these portentous movements, 
until Kirby discharged his piece r with the same want of success 
as before. Then, indeed, the shouts of the negro rang through 
the bushes, and sounded among the trees of the neighboring 
forest like the outcries of a tribe of Indians. He laughed, 
rolling his head first on one side, then on the other, until nature 
seemed exhausted with mirth. He danced until his legs were 
wearied with motion, in the snow ; and, in short, he exhibited 
all that violence of joy that characterizes the mirth of a thought- 
less negro. 

The wood-chopper had exerted all his art, and felt a propor- 
tionate degree of disappointment at the failure. He first 


210 


THE PIONEERS. 


examined the bird with the utmost attention, and more than 
once suggested that he had touched its feathers ; but the voice 
of the multitude was against him, for it felt disposed to listen to 
the often repeated cries of the black, to “ gib a nigger fair 
play.” 

Finding it impossible to make out a title to the bird, Kirby 
turned fiercely to the black, and said — 

“ Shut your oven, you crow ! Where is the man that can 
hit a turkey’s head at a hundred yards ? I was a fool for try- 
ing. You needn’t make an uproar, like a falling pine-tree, 
about it. Show me the man who can do it.” 

“ Look this a-way, Billy Kirby,” said Leather-stocking, “ and 
let them clear the mark, and I’ll show you a man who’s made 
better shots afore now, and that when he’s been hard pressed by 
the savages and wild beasts.” 

tt Perhaps there is one whose rights come before ours, 
Leather-stocking,” said Miss Temple ; “ if so, we will waive our 
privilege.” 

“ If it be me that you have reference to,” said the young 
hunter, “ I shall decline another chance. My shoulder is yet 
weak, I find.” 

Elizabeth regarded his manner, and thought that she could 
discern a tinge on his cheek that spoke the shame of conscious 
poverty. She said no more, but suffered her own champion to 
make a trial. Although Natty Bumppo had certainly made 
hundreds of more momentous shots at his enemies or his 
game, yet he never exerted himself more to excel. He raised 
his piece three several times ; once to get his range ; once to 
calculate his distance ; and once because the bird, alarmed by the 
death-like stillness, turned its head quickly to examine its foes. 
But the fourth time he fired. The smoke, the report, and the 
momentary shock, prevented most of the spectators from 
instantly knowing the result ; but Elizabeth, when she saw her 
champion drop the end of his rifle in the snow and open his 
mouth in one of its silent laughs, and then proceed very coolly 
to recharge his piece, knew that he had been successful. The 


V 

THE PIONEERS. 217 

boys rushed to the mark, and lifted the turkey on high, lifeless, 
and with nothing but the remnant of a head. 

“ Bring in the creater,” said Leather-stocking, “ and put it at 
the feet of the lady. I was her deputy in the matter, and the 
bird is her property.” 

“ And a good deputy you have proved yourself,” returned 
Elizabeth, — •“ so good, cousin Richard, that I would advise you 
to remember his qualities.” She paused, and the gaiety that 
beamed on her face gave place to a more serious earnestness. 
She even blushed a little as she turned to the young hunter, 
and, with the charm of a woman’s manner, added — “ But it was 
only to see an exhibition of the far-famed skill of Leather-stock- 
ing, that I tried my fortunes. Will you, sir, accept the bird as 
a small peace-offering for the hurt that prevented your own 
success ?” 

The expression with which the youth received this present 
was indescribable. He appeared to yield to the blandishment 
of her air, in opposition to a strong inward impulse to the con- 
trary. He bowed, and raised the victim silently from her feet, 
but continued silent. 

Elizabeth handed the black a piece of silver as a remuneration 
for his loss, which had some effect in again unbending his 
muscles, and then expressed to her companion her readiness to 
return homeward. 

“Wait a minute, cousin Bess,” cried Richard ; “there is an 
uncertainty about the rules of this sport that it is proper I should 
remove. If you will appoint a committee, gentlemen, to wait 
on me this morning, I will draw up in writing a set of regula- 
tions ” He stopped, with some indignation, for at that 

instant a hand was laid familiarly on the shoulder of the High 
Sheriff of . 

“ A merry Christmas to you, cousin Dickon,” said J udge 
Temple, who had approached the party unperceived : “ I must 
have a vigilant eye to my daughter, sir, if you are to be seized 
daily with these gallant fits. I admire the taste which would 
introduce a lady to such scenes !” 

10 


218 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ It is her own perversity, ’duke,” cried the disappointed 
Sheriff, who felt the loss of the first salutation as grievously as 
many a man would a much greater misfortune ; “ and I must 
say that she comes honestly by it. I led her out to show her 
the improvements, but away she scampered, through the snow, 
at the first sound of fire-arms, the same as if she had been 
brought up in a camp, instead of a first-rate boarding-school. 
I do think, Judge Temple, that such ^dangerous amusements 
should be suppressed by statute ; nay, I doubt whether they are 
not already indictable at common law.” 

“ Well, sir, as you are Sheriff of the county, it becomes your 
duty to examine into the matter,” returned the smiling Marma- 
duke. “ I perceive that Bess has executed her commission, and 
I hope it met with a favorable reception.” Richard glanced his 
eye at the packet which he held in his hand, and the slight 
anger produced by disappointment vanished instantly. 

“ Ah ! ’duke, my dear cousin,” he said, “ step a little on one 
side ; I have something I would say to you.” Marmaduke 
complied, and the Sheriff led him to a little distance in the 
bushes, and continued — “First, ’duke, let me thank you for your 
friendly interest with the Council and the Governor, without 
which, I am confident that the greatest merit would avail but 
little. But we are sisters’ children — we are sisters’ children ; 
and you may use me like one of your horses ; ride me or drive 
me, ’duke, I am wholly yours. But in my humble opinion, this 
young companion of Leather-stocking requires looking after. 
He has a very dangerous propensity for turkey.” 

“ Leave him to my management, Dickon,” said the Judge, 
“ and I will cure his appetite by indulgence. It is with him 
that I would speak. Let us rejoin the sportsmen.” 


THE PIONEERS. 


219 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


Toor wretch ! the mother that him bare, 

If she had been in presence there, 

In his wan face, and sunburnt hair, 

She had not known her child. 

Scott. 

It diminished, in no degree, the effect produced by the con- 
versation which passed between Judge Temple and the young 
hunter, that the former took the arm of his daughter and drew 
it through his own, when he advanced from the spot whither 
Richard had led him to that where the youth was standing, lean- 
ing on his rifle, and contemplating the dead bird at his feet. The 
presence of Marmaduke did not interrupt the sports, which were 
resumed, by loud and clamorous disputes concerning the con- 
ditions of a chance, that involved the life of a bird of much 
inferior quality to the last. Leather-stocking and Mohegan hacl 
alone drawn aside to their youthful companion ; and, although 
in the immediate vicinity of such a throng, the following con- 
versation was heard only by those who were interested in it. 

“ I have greatly injured you, Mr. Edwards,” said the Judge ; 
but the sudden and inexplicable start, with which the person 
spoken to received this unexpected address, caused him to pause 
a moment. As no answer was given, and the strong emotion 
exhibited in the countenance of the youth gradually passed 
away, he continued — “ But, fortunately, it is in some measure 
in my power to compensate you for what I have done. My 
kinsman, Richard Jones, has received an appointment that will, 
in future, deprive me of his assistance, and leaves me, just now, 
destitute of one who might greatly aid me with his pen. Your 
manner, notwithstanding appearances, is a sufficient proof of 
your education, nor will thy shoulder suffer thee to labor, for 


220 


THE PIONEER 3. 


some time to come.” (Marmaduke insensibly relapsed into the 
language of the Friends as he grew warm.) “ My doors are 
open to thee, my young friend, for in this infant country we 
harbor no suspicions : little offering to tempt the cupidity of the 
evil disposed. Become my assistant, for at least a season, and 
receive such compensation as thy services will deserve.” 

There was nothing in the manner or the offer of the Judge 
to justify the reluctance, amounting nearly to loathing, with 
which the youth listened to his speech.: but after a powerful 
effort for self-command, he replied — 

“ I would serve you, sir, or any other man, for an honest 
support, for I do not affect to conceal that my necessities are 
very great, even beyond what appearances would indicate ; but 
I am fearful that such new duties would interfere too much 
with more important business : so that I must decline your 
offer, and depend on my rifle, as before, for subsistence.” 

Richard here took occasion to whisper to the young lady, 
who had shrunk a little from the foreground of the picture — 

“ This, you see, cousin Bess, is the natural reluctance of a 
half-breed to leave the savage state. Their attachment to a 
wandering life is, I verily believe, unconquerable.” 

“ It is a precarious life,” observed Marmaduke, without hearing 
the Sheriff’s observation, “ and one that brings more evils with 
it than present suffering. Trust me, young friend, my expe- 
rience is greater than thine, when I tell thee, that the unsettled 
life of these hunters is of vast disadvantage for temporal pur- 
poses, and it totally removes one from the influence of more 
sacred things.” 

“ No, no, Judge,” interrupted the Leather-stocking, who was 
hitherto unseen, or disregarded ; “ take him into your shanty 
in welcome, but tell him truth. I have lived in the woods for 
forty long years, and have spent five at a time without seeing 
the light of a clearing bigger than a wind-row in the trees ; and 
I should like to know where you’ll find a man, in his sixty- 
eightli year, who can get an easier living, for all your better- 
ments and your deer-laws : and, as for honesty, or doing 


THE PIONEERS. 


221 


what’s right between man and man, I’ll not turn my back to 
the longest winded deacon on your Patent.” 

“Thou art an exception, Leather-stocking,” returned the 
J udge, nodding good-naturedly at the hunter ; “ for thou hast 
a temperance unusual in thy class, and a hardihood exceeding 
thy years. But this youth is made of materials too precious to 
be wasted in the forest. I entreat thee to join my family, if it 
be but till thy arm be healed. My daughter here, who is 
mistress of my dwelling, will tell thee that thou art welcome.” 

“ Certainly,” said Elizabeth, whose earnestness was a little 
checked by female reserve. “ The unfortunate would be wel- 
come at any time, but doubly so when we feel that we have 
occasioned the evil ourselves.” 

“ Yes,” said Richard, “ and if you relish turkey, young man, 
there are plenty in the coops, and of the best kind, I can 
assure you.” 

Finding himself thus ably seconded, Marmaduke pushed his 
advantage to the utmost. He entered into a detail of the duties 
that would attend the situation, and circumstantially mentioned 
the reward, and all those points which are deemed of impor- 
tance among men of business. The youth listened in extreme 
agitation. There was an evident contest in his feelings ; at 
times he appeared to wish eagerly for the change, and then 
again the incomprehensible expression of disgust would cross 
his features, like a dark cloud obscuring a noonday sun. 

The Indian, in whose manner the depression of self-abasement 
was most powerfully exhibited, listened to the offers of the 
Judge with an interest that increased with each syllable. Gra- 
dually he drew nigher to the group ; and when, with his keen 
glance, he detected the most marked evidence of yielding in the 
countenance of his young companion, he changed at once from 
his attitude and look of shame to the front of an Indian warrior, 
and moving, with great dignity, closer to the parties, he spoke — 

“ Listen to your Father,” he said ; “ his words are old. Let 
the Young Eagle and the Great Land Chief eat together; let 
them sleep, without fear, near each other. The children of 


222 


THE PIONEERS. 


Miquon love not blood ; they are just, and will do right. The 
sun must rise and set often, before men can make one family ; 
it is not the work of a day, but of many winters. The Mingoes 
and the Delawares are born enemies ; their blood can never 
mix in the wigwam : it never will run in the same stream in 
the battle. What makes the brother of Miquon and the Young 
Eagle foes ? They are of the same tribe : their fathers and 
mothers are one. Learn to wait, my son : you are a Delaware, 
and an Indian warrior knows how to be patient.” 

This figurative address seemed to have great weight with 
the young man, who gradually yielded to the representations of 
Marmaduke, and eventually consented to his proposal. It was, 
however, to be an experiment only ; and if either of the parties 
thought fit to rescind the engagement, it was left at his option 
so to do. The remarkable and ill-concealed reluctance of the 
youth to accept of an offer, which most men in his situation 
would consider as an unhoped-for elevation, occasioned no little 
surprise in those to whom he was a stranger; and it left a 
slight impression to his disadvantage. When the parties sepa- 
rated, they very naturally made the subject the topic of a conver- 
sation, which we shall relate ; first commencing with the Judge, 
his daughter, and Richard, who were slowly pursuing the way 
back to the Mansion-house. 

“ I have surely endeavored to remember the holy mandates 
of our Redeemer, when he bids us ‘ love them who despitefully 
use you,’ in my intercourse with this incomprehensible boy,” 
said Marmaduke. “ I know not what there is in my dwelling 
to frighten a lad of his years, unless it may be thy presence and 
visage, Bess ” 

“ No, no,” said Richard, with great simplicity ; “ it is not 
cousin Bess. But when did you ever know a half-breed, ’duke, 
who could bear civilization ? For that matter, they are worse 
than the savages themselves? Did you notice how knock- 
kneed he stood, Elizabeth, and what a wild look he had in his 
eyes ?” 

“I heeded not his eyes, nor his knees, which would be all 


THE PIONEERS. 


223 


the better for a little humbling. Really, my dear sir, I think 
you did exercise the Christian virtue of patience to the utmost. 
I was disgusted with his airs, long before he consented to make 
one of our family. Truly, we are much honored by the associ- 
ation ! In what apartment is he to be placed, sir ; and at what 
table is he to receive his nectar and ambrosia ?” 

“ With Benjamin and Remarkable,” interrupted Mr. Jones ; 
“ you surely would not make the youth eat with the blacks ! 
He is part Indian, it is true ; but the natives hold the negroes 
in great contempt. No, no ; he would starve before he would 
break a crust with the negroes.” 

“ I am but too happy, Dickon, to tempt him to eat with our- 
selves,” said Marmaduke, “ to think of offering even the indig- 
nity you propose.” 

“ Then, sir,” said Elizabeth, with an air that was slightly 
affected, as if submitting to her father’s orders in opposition to 
her own will, “ it is your pleasure that he be a gentleman.” 

“ Certainly ; he is to fill the station of one. Let him receive 
the treatment that is due to his place, until we find him 
unworthy of it.” 

“ Well, well, ’duke,” cried the Sheriff, “ you will find it no 
easy matter to make a gentleman of him. The old proverb 
says 1 that it takes three generations to make a gentleman.’ 
There was my father, whom everybody knew ; my grandfather 
was an M.D., and his father a D.D. ; and his father came from 
England. I never could come at the truth of his origin ; but 
he was either a great merchant in London, or a great country 
lawyer, or the youngest son of a bishop.” 

“ Here is a true American genealogy for you,” said 
Marmaduke, laughing. “ It does very well till you get across 
the water, where, as everything is obscure, it is certain to deal 
in the superlative. You are sure that your English progenitor 
was great, Dickon, whatever his profession might have 
been ?” 

“ To be sure I am,” returned the other. “ I have heard my 
old aunt talk of him by the month. We are of a good family, 


224 


THE PIONEERS. 


Judge Temple, and have never filled any but honorable 
stations in life.” 

“ I marvel that you should be satisfied with so scanty a 
provision of gentility in the olden time, Dickon. Most of 
the American genealogists commence their traditions, like the 
stories for children, with three brothers, taking especial care 
that one of the triumvirate shall be the progenitor of any of 
the same name who may happen to be better furnished with 
worldly gear than themselves. But, here all are equal who 
know how to conduct themselves with propriety ; and Oliver 
Edwards comes into my family on a footing with both the High 
Sheriff and the Judge.” 

“Well, ’duke, I call this democracy, not republicanism ; but 
I say nothing ; only let him keep within the law, or I shall show 
him that the freedom of even this country is under wholesome 
restraint.” 

“ Surely, Dickon, you will not execute till I condemn ! But 
what says Bess to the new inmate ? We must pay a deference 
to the ladies in this matter, after all.” 

“ Oh, sir !” returned Elizabeth, “ I believe I am much like a 
certain Judge Temple in this particular — not easily to be 
turned from my opinion. But, to be serious, although I must 
think the introduction of a demi-savage into the family a 
somewhat startling event, whomsoever you think proper to 
countenance may be sure of my respect.” 

The Judge drew her arm more closely in his own and 
smiled, while Richard led the way through the gate of the little 
court-yard in the rear of the dwelling, dealing out his ambiguous 
warnings with his accustomed loquacity. 

On the other hand, the foresters — for the three hunters, 
notwithstanding their difference in character, well deserved this 
common name — pursued their course along the skirts of the 
village in silence. It was not until they had reached the lake, 
and were moving over its frozen surface towards the foot of 
the mountain, where the hut stood, that the youth exclaimed — 

“ Who could have foreseen this a month since I I have 


THE PIONEERS. 


225 


consented to serve Marmaduke Temple, — to be an inmate in 
the dwelling of the greatest enemy of my race ; yet what 
better could I do ? The servitude cannot be long ; and when 
the motive for submitting to it ceases to exist, I will shake it 
off, like the dust from my feet.” 

“ Is he a Mingo, that you will call him enemy ?” said 
Mohegan. “ The Delaware warrior sits still, and waits the 
time of the Great Spirit. He is no woman, to cry out like 
a child.” 

“ Well, I’m mistrustful, John,” said Leather-stocking, in 
whose air there had been, during the whole business, a strong 
expression of doubt and uncertainty. “ They say that there’s 
new laws in the land, and I am sartain that there’s new ways 
in the mountains. One hardly knows the lakes and streams, 
they’ve altered the country so much. I must say I’m 
mistrustful of such smooth speakers ; for I’ve known the whites 
talk fair when they wanted the Indian lands most. This I will 
say, though I’m white myself, and was born nigh York, and of 
honest parents, too.” 

“ I will submit,” said the youth ; “ I will forget who I am. 
Cease to remember, old Mohegan, that I am the descendant of 
a Delaware chief, who once was master of these noble hills, 
these beautiful vales, and of this water over which we tread. 
Yes, yes ; I will become his bondsman — his slave. Ls it not an 
honorable servitude, old man ?” 

u Old man !” repeated the Indian, solemnly, and pausing in 
his walk, as usual, when much excited: “yes; John is old. 
Son of my brother ! if Mohegan was young, when would his 
rifle be still ? Where would the deer hide, and he not find 
him ? But John is old ; his hand is the hand of a squaw ; his 
tomahawk is a hatchet ; brooms and baskets are his enemies — 
he strikes no other. Hunger and old age come together. See, 
Hawk-eye ! when young, he would go days and eat nothing ; 
but should he not put the brush on the fire now, the blaze 
would go out. Take the son of Miquon by the hand, and he 
will help you.” 


10 * 


226 


THE PIONEERS. 


“I’m not the man I was, I’ll own, Chingachgook,” returned 
the Leather-stocking ; “ but I can go without a meal now, on 
occasion. When we tracked the Iroquois through the 1 Beech 
woods,’ they drove the game afore them, for I hadn’t a morsel 
to eat from Monday morning come Wednesday sundown ; and 
then I shot as fat a buck, on the Pennsylvany line, as ever 
mortal laid eyes on. It would have done your heart good to 
have seen the Delaware eat; for I was out scouting and 
skrimmaging with their tribe at the time. Lord ! the Indians, 
lad, lay still, and just waited till Providence should send them 
their game ; but I foraged about, and put a deer up, and put him 
down too, afore he had made a dozen jumps. I was too weak 
and too ravenous to stop for his flesh ; so I took a good drink 
of his blood, and the Indians ate of his meat raw. John was 
there, and John knows. But then starvation would be apt to 
be too much for me now, I will own, though I’m no great eater 
at any time.” 

“ Enough is said, my friends,” cried the youth. “ I feel that 
everywhere the sacrifice is required at my hands, and it shall 
be made ; but say no more, I entreat you ; I cannot bear this 
subject now.” 

His companions were silent ; and they soon reached the hut, 
which they entered, after removing certain complicated and 
ingenious fastenings, that were put there apparently to guard a 
property of but very little value. Immense piles of snow lay 
against the log walls of this secluded habitation, on one side ; 
while fragments of small trees, and branches of oak and 
chestnut, that had been torn from their parent stems by the 
winds, were thrown into a pile, on the other. A small column 
of smoke rose through a chimney of sticks, cemented with clay, 
along the side of the rock ; and had marked the snow above 
with its dark tinges, in a wavy line, from the point of emission 
to another, where the hill receded from the brow of a precipice, 
and held a soil that nourished trees of a gigantic growth, that 
overhung the little bottom beneath. 

The remainder of the day passed off as such days are 


THE PIONEERS. 


227 


commonly spent in a new country. The settlers thronged to 
the academy again, to witness the second effort of Mr. Grant ; 
and Mohegan was one of his hearers. But, notwithstanding 
the Divine fixed his eyes intently on the Indian, when he 
invited his congregation to advance to the table, the shame of 
last night’s abasement was yet too keen in the old chief to 
suffer him to move. 

When the people were dispersing, the clouds that had been 
gathering all the morning, were dense and dirty ; and before 
half of the curious congregation had reached their different 
cabins, that were placed in every glen and hollow of the 
mountains, or perched on the summits of the hills themselves, 
the rain was falling in torrents. The dark edges of the stumps 
began to exhibit themselves, as the snow settled rapidly ; the 
fences of logs* and brush, which before had been only traced by 
long lines of white mounds, that ran across the valley and up 
the mountains, peeped out from their covering, and the black 
stubs were momentarily becoming more distinct, as large masses 
of snow and ice fell from their sides, under the influence of the 
thaw. 

Sheltered in the warm hall of her father’s comfortable 
mansion, Elizabeth, accompanied by Louisa Grant, looked 
abroad with admiration at the ever-varying face of things 
without. Even the village, which had just before been 
glittering with the color of the frozen element, reluctantly 
dropped its mask, and the houses exposed their dark roofs 
and smoked chimneys. The pines shook off the covering 
of snow, and everything seemed to be assuming its proper hue, 
with a transition that bordered on the supernatural. 


228 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER XIX. 


And yet, poor Edwin was no vulgar boy. 


Bkattib. 


The close of Christmas day, A. D. 1793, was tempestuous, 
but comparatively warm. When darkness had again hid the 
objects in the village from the gaze of Elizabeth, she turned 
from the window, where she had remained while the least 
vestige of light lingered over the tops of the dark pines, with 
a curiosity that was rather excited than appeased by the 
passing glimpses of woodland scenery that she had caught 
during the day. 

With her arm locked in that of Miss Grant, the young 
mistress of the mansion walked slowly up and down the hall, 
musing on scenes that were rapidly recurring to her memory, 
and possibly dwelling, at times, in the sanctuary of .her 
thoughts, on the strange occurrences that had led to the intro- 
duction to her father’s family, of one, whose manners so 
singularly contradicted the inferences to be drawn from his 
situation. The expiring heat of the apartment, — for its great 
size required a day to reduce its temperature, — had given to 
her cheeks a bloom that exceeded their natural color, while the 
mild and melancholy features of Louisa were brightened with 
a faint tinge, that, like the hectic of disease, gave a painful 
interest to her beauty. 

The eyes of the gentlemen, who were yet seated around the 
rich wines of Judge Temple, frequently wandered from the 
table, that was placed at one end of the hall, to the forms that 
were silently moving over its length. Much mirth, and that, 
at times, of a boisterous kind, proceeded from the mouth of 


THE PIONE ERS. 


229 


Richard ; but Major Hartmann was not yet excited to his pitch 
of merriment, and Marmaduke respected the presence of his 
clerical guest too much, to indulge in even the innocent humor 
that formed no small ingredient in his character. 

Such were, and such continued to be, the pursuits of the 
party, for half an hour after the shutters were closed, and 
candles were placed in various parts of the hall, as substitutes 
for the departing daylight. The appearance of Benjamin, 
staggering under the burden of an armful of wood, was the 
first interruption to the scene. 

“ How now, Master Pump ! ” roared the newly appointed 
sheriff ; “ is there not warmth enough in ’duke’s best Madeira 
to keep up the animal heat through this thaw ? Remember, 
old boy, that the Judge is particular with his beech and maple, 
beginning to dread already a scarcity of the precious articles. 
Ha ! ha ! ha ! ’duke, you are a good, warm-hearted relation, 
I will own, as in duty bound, but you have some queer notions 
about you, after all. ‘ Come let us be jolly, and cast away 
folly.’ ” 

The notes gradually sank into a hum, while the major-domo 
threw down his load, and turning to his interrogator with an 
air of earnestness, replied — 

“ Why, look you, Squire Dickens, mayhap there’s a warm 
latitude round about the table there, thof it’s not the stuff to 
raise the heat in my body, neither; the raal Jamaiky being the 
only thing to do that, besides good wood, or some such matter 
as Newcastle coal. But, if I know anything of weather, d’ye 
see, it’s time to be getting all snug, and for putting the ports in, 
and stirring the fires a bit. Mayhap I’ve not followed the seas 
twenty-seven years, and lived another seven in these here woods, 
for nothing, gemmen.” 

“ Why, does it bid fair for a change in the weather, Benja- 
min ? ” inquired the master of the house. 

“ There’s a shift of wind, your honor,” returned the steward ; 
“ and Avhen there’s a shift of wind, you may look for a change 
in this here climate. I was aboard of one of Rodney’s fleet, 


230 


THE PIONEERS. 


d’ye see, about the time we licked De Grasse, Mounsheer Ler 
Quaw’s countryman, there ; and the wind was here at the 
south’ard and east’ard ; and I was below, mixing a toothful of 
hot stuff for the captain of marines, who dined, d’ye see, in the 
cabin, that there very same day ; and I suppose he wanted to 
put out the Captain’s fire with a gunroom ingyne : and so, just 
as I got it to my own liking, after tasting pretty often, for the 
soldier was difficult to please, slap came the foresail ag’in the 
mast, whiz went the ship round on her heel, like a whirligig. 
And a lucky thing was it that our helm was down ; for as she 
gathered starnway she paid off, which was more than every ship 
in the fleet did, or could do. But she strained herself in the 
trough of the sea, and she shipped a deal of water over her 
quarter. I never swallowed so much clear water at a time in 
my life, as I did then, for I was looking up the after-hatch at 
the instant.” 

“I wonder, Benjamin, that you did not die with a dropsy ! ” 
said Marmaduke. 

“ I mought, J udge,” said the old tar, with a broad grin ; “ but 
there was no need of the med’cine chest for a cure ; for, as I 
thought the brew was spoilt for the marine’s taste, and there 
was no telling when another sea might come and spoil it for 
mine, I finished the mug on the spot. So then all hands 
was called to the pumps, and there we began to ply the 
pumps ” 

“ Well, but the weather ? ” interrupted Marmaduke ; “ what 
of the weather without doors ? ” 

“ Why, here the wind has been all day at the south, and 
now there’s a lull, as if the last blast was out of the bellows ; 
and there’s a streak along the mountains, to the north’ard, that, 
just now, wasn’t wider than the bigness of your hand ; and 
then the clouds drive afore it as you’d brail a mainsail, and the 
stars are heaving in sight, like so many lights and beacons, put 
there to warn us to pile on the wood ; and, if-so-be that I’m $ 
judge of weather, it’s getting to be time to build on a fire ; or 
you’ll have half of them there porter bottles, and them dimmy- 


THE PIONEERS. 


231 


johns of wine, in the locker here, breaking with the frost, aforo 
the morning watch is called.” 

“ Thou art a prudent sentinel,” said the Judge. “ Act thy 
pleasure with the forests, for this night at least.” 

Benjamin did as he was ordered ; nor had two hours elapsed, 
before the prudence of his precautions became very visible. The 
south wind had, indeed, blown itself out, and it was succeeded 
by the calmness that usually gave warning of a serious change 
in the weather. Long before the family retired to rest, the cold 
had become cuttingly severe ; and when Monsieur Le Quoi 
sallied forth, under a bright moon, to seek his own abode, he 
was compelled to beg a blanket, in which he might envelop his 
form, in addition to the numerous garments that his sagacity 
had provided for the occasion. The divine and his daughter 
remained as inmates of the Mansion-house during the night, 
and the excess of last night’s merriment induced the gentlemen 
to make an early retreat to their several apartments. Long 
before midnight, the whole family were invisible. 

Elizabeth and her friend had not yet lost their senses in sleep, 
when the howlings of the north-west wind were heard around the 
buildings, and brought with them that exquisite sense of com- 
fort that is ever excited under such circumstances, in an 
apartment where the fire has not yet ceased to glimmer ; and 
curtains, and shutters, and feathers, unite to preserve the desired 
temperature. Once, just as her eyes had opened, apparently in 
the last stage of drowsiness, the roaring winds brought with 
them a long and plaintive howl, that seemed too wild for a dog, 
and yet resembled the cries of that faithful animal, when night 
awakens his vigilance, and gives sweetness and solemnity to his 
alarms. The form of Louisa Grant instinctively pressed nearer 
to that of the young heiress, who, finding her companion was 
yet awake, said, in a low tone, as if afraid to break a charm 
with her voice — 

“ Those distant cries are plaintive, and even beautiful. Can 
they be the hounds from the hut of Leather-stocking ?” 

“ They are wolves, who have ventured from the mountain, on 


232 


THE PIONEERS. 


the lake,” whispered Louisa, “ and who are only kept from the 
village by the lights. One night, since we have been here, 
hunger drove them to our very door. Oh, what a dreadful 
night it was! But the riches of Judge Temple have given 
him too many safeguards, to leave room for fear in this 
house.” 

“ The enterprise of Judge Temple is taming the very 
forests ! ” exclaimed Elizabeth, throwing off the covering, and 
partly rising in the bed. “ How rapidly' is civilization treading 
on the footsteps of nature ! ” she continued, as her eye glanced 
over, not only the comforts, but the luxuries of her apartment, 
and her ear again listened to the distant, but often repeated 
howls from the lake. Finding, however, that the timidity of 
her companion rendered the sounds painful to her, Elizabeth 
resumed her place, and soon forgot the changes in the country, 
with those in her own condition, in a deep sleep. 

The following morning, the noise of the female servant, who 
entered the apartment to light the lire, awoke the females. 
They arose, and finished the slight preparations of their toilets 
in a clear, cold atmosphere, that penetrated through all the 
defences of even Miss Temple’s warm room. "When Elizabeth 
was attired, she approached a window and drew its curtain, and 
throwing open its shutters, she endeavored to look abroad on 
the village and the lake. But a thick covering of frost, on the 
glass, while it admitted the light, shut out the view. She raised 
the sash, and then, indeed, a glorious scene met her delighted 
eye. 

The lake had exchanged its covering of unspotted snow for a 
face of dark ice, that reflected the rays of the rising sun, like a 
polished mirror. The houses were clothed in a dress of the 
same description, but which, owing to its position, shone like 
bright steel ; while the enormous icicles, that were pendent from 
every roof, caught the brilliant light, apparently throwing it from 
one to the other, as each glittered, on the side next the luminary, 
with a golden lustre, that melted away, on its opposite, into the 
dusky shades of a background. But it was the appearance 


THE PIONEERS. 


233 


of the boundless forests that covered the hills as they rose, in 
the distance, one over the other, that most attracted the gaze of 
Miss Temple. The huge branches of the pines and hemlocks 
bent with the weight of the ice they supported, while their 
summits rose above the swelling tops of the oaks, beeches, and 
maples, like spires of burnished silver issuing from domes of the 
same material. The limits of the view, in the west, were marked 
by an undulating outline of bright light, as if, reversing the 
order of nature, numberless suns might momentarily be expected 
to heave above the horizon. In the foreground of the picture, 
along the shores of the lake, and near to the village, each tree 
seemed studded with diamonds. Even the sides of the moun- 
tains where the rays of the sun could not yet fall, were decorated 
with a glassy coat, that presented every gradation of brilliancy, 
from the first touch of the luminary to the dark foliage of the hem- 
lock, glistening through its coat of crystal. In short, the whole 
view was one scene of quivering radiancy, as lake, mountains, 
village, and woods, each emitted a portion of light, tinged with 
its peculiar hue, and varied by its position and its magnitude. 

“ See !” cried Elizabeth — “ see, Louisa : hasten to the window, 
and observe the miraculous change !” 

Miss Grant complied ; and, after bending for a moment in 
silence, from the opening, she observed, in a low tone, as if afraid 
to trust the sound of her voice — 

“ The change is indeed wonderful ! I am surprised that he 
should be able to effect it so soon.” 

Elizabeth turned in amazement, to hear so sceptical a senti- 
ment from one educated like her companion ; but was surprised 
to find that, instead of looking at the view, the mild blue eyes 
of Miss Grant were dwelling on the form of a well-dressed young 
man, who was standing before the door of the building, in earnest 
conversation with her father. .A second look was necessary, 
before she was able to recognise the person of the young hunter, 
in a plain, but assuredly, the ordinary, garb of a gentleman. 

“ Everything in this magical country seems to border on the 
marvellous,” said Elizabeth ; “ and among all the changes, this 


234 


THE PIONEERS. 


is certainly not the least wonderful. The actors are as unique 
as the scenery.” 

Miss Grant colored, and drew in her head. 

“ I am a simple country girl, Miss Temple, and I am afraid 
you will find me but a poor companion,” she said. “ I — I am 
not sure that I understand all you say. But I really thought 
that you wished me to notice the alteration in Mr. Edwards. Is 
it not more wonderful when we recollect his origin ? They say 
he is part Indian.” 

“ He is a genteel savage : but let us go down, and give the 
Sachem his tea; — for I suppose he is a descendant of King 
Philip, if not a grandson of Pocahontas.” 

The ladies were met in the hall by Judge Temple, who took 
his daughter aside to apprise her of that alteration in the 
appearance of their new inmate, with which she was already 
acquainted. 

“ He appears reluctant to converse on his former situation,” 
continued Marmaduke ; “ but I gather from his discourse, as is 
apparent from his manner, that he has seen better days ; and 
I really am inclining to the opinion of Richard, as to his origin ; 
for it was no unusual thing for the Indian agents to rear their 
children in a laudable manner, and •” 

“ Very well, my dear sir,” interrupted his daughter, laughing 
and averting her eyes ; “ it is all well enough, I dare say ; but 
as I do not understand a word of the Mohawk language, he 
must be content to speak English ; and as for his behavior, I 
trust to your discernment to control it.” 

“Ay! but, Bess,” said the Judge, detaining her gently with 
his hand, “ nothing must be said to him of his past life. This 
he has begged particularly of me, as a favor. He is, perhaps, a 
little soured, just now, with his wounded arm ; the injury seems 
very light, and another time he* may be more communicative.” 

“ Oh ! I am not much troubled, sir, with that laudable thirst 
after knowledge, that is called curiosity. I shall believe him to 
be the child of Corn-stalk, or Corn-planter, or some other 
renowned chieftain ; possibly, of the Big Snake himself ; and 


THE PIONEERS. 


235 


shall treat him as such until he sees fit to shave his good-looking 
head, borrow some half-dozen pair of my best ear-rings, shoulder 
his rifle again, and disappear as suddenly as he made his 
entrance. So come, my dear sir, and let us not forget the 
rites of hospitality, for the short time he is to remain with us.” 

Judge Temple smiled at the playfulness of his child, and 
taking her arm, they entered the breakfast parlor, where the 
young hunter was seated, with an air that showed his determi- 
nation to domesticate himself in the family with as little parade 
as possible. 

Such were the incidents that led to this extraordinary increase 
in the family of Judge Temple, where, having once established 
the youth, the subject of our tale requires us to leave him, for a 
time, to pursue with diligence and intelligence the employments 
that were assigned him by Marmaduke. 

Major Hartmann made his customary visit, and took his leave 
of the party for the next three months. Mr. Grant was com- 
pelled to be absent much of his time, in remote parts of the 
country, and his daughter became almost a constant visitor at 
the Mansion-house. Richard entered, with his constitutional 
eagerness, on the duties of his new office ; and, as Marmaduke 
was much employed with the constant applications of adven- 
turers for farms, the winter passed swiftly away. The lake was 
a principal scene for the amusements of the young people ; 
where the ladies, in their one-horse cutter, driven by Richard, 
and attended, when the snow would admit of it, by young 
Edwards, on his skates, spent many hours, taking the benefit 
of exercise in the clear air of the hills. The reserve of the youth 
gradually gave way to time and his situation, though it was 
still evident, to a close observer, that he had frequent moments 
of bitter and intense feeling. 

Elizabeth saw many large openings appear in the sides of the 
mountains during the three succeeding months, where different 
settlers had, in the language of the country, “ made their pitch 
while the numberless sleighs that passed through the village, 
loaded with wheat and barrels of pot-ashes, afforded a clear 


236 


THE PIONEERS. 


demonstration that all these labors were not undertaken in vain. 
In short, the whole country was exhibiting the bustle of a 
thriving settlement, where the highways were thronged with 
sleighs, bearing piles of rough household furniture ; studded, 
here and there, with the smiling faces of women and children, 
happy in the excitement of novelty ; or with loads of produce, 
hastening to the common market at Albany, that served as so 
many snares to induce the emigrants to enter into those wild 
mountains in search of competence and happiness. 

The village was alive with business ; the artisans increasing 
in wealth with the prosperity of the country, and each day 
witnessing some nearer approach to the manners and usages of 
an old-settled town. The man who carried the mail, or “ the 
post,” as he was called, talked much of running a stage, and, 
once or twice during the winter, he was seen taking a single 
passenger, in his cutter, through the snow-banks, towards the 
Mohawk, along which a regular vehicle glided, semi-weekly, 
with the velocity of lightning, and under the direction of a 
knowing whip from the “ down countries.” Towards spring, 
divers families, who had been into the “ old states,” to see their 
relatives, returned, in time to save the snow, frequently bringing 
with them whole neighborhoods, who were tempted by their 
representations to leave the farms of Connecticut and Massachu- 
setts, to make a trial of fortune in the woods. 

During all this time, Oliver Edwards, whose sudden elevation 
excited no surprise in that changeful country, was earnestly 
engaged in the service of Marmaduke, during the days ; but his 
nights were often spent in the hut of Leather-stocking. The 
intercourse between the three hunters was maintained with a 
certain air of mystery, it is true, but with much zeal and 
apparent interest to all the parties. Even Mohegan seldom 
came to the Mansion-house, and Natty, never ; but Edwards 
sought every leisure moment to visit his former abode, from 
which he would often return in the gloomy hours of night, 
through the snow, or, if detained beyond the time at which the 
family retired to rest, with the morning sun. These visits cer- 


THE PIONEERS. 


237 


tainly excited much speculation in those to whom they were 
known, but no comments were made, excepting occasionally, in 
whispers from Richard, who would say — 

“It is not at all remarkable; — a half-breed can never be 
weaned from the savage ways — and for one of his lineage, the 
boy is much nearer civlization than could, in reason, be 
expected.” 


238 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER XX. 

Away ! nor let me loiter in my song, 

For we have many a mountain path to tread. Byron. 

As the spring gradually approached, the immense piles of 
snow, that by alternate thaws and frosts, and repeated storms, 
had obtained a firmness which threatened a tiresome durability, 
began to yield to the influence of milder breezes and a warmer 
sun. The gates of Heaven at times seemed to open, and a 
bland air diffused itself over the earth, when animate and inani- 
mate nature would awaken, and, for a few hours, the gaiety of 
spring shone in every eye, and smiled on every field. But the 
shivering blasts from the north would carry their chill influence 
over the scene again, and the dark and gloomy clouds that inter- 
cepted the rays of the sun were not more cold and dreary than 
the reaction. These struggles between the seasons became 
daily more frequent, while the earth, like a victim to conten- 
tion, slowly lost the animated brilliancy of winter, without ob- 
taining the aspect of spring. 

Several weeks were consumed in this cheerless manner, 
during which the inhabitants of the country gradually changed 
their pursuits from the social and bustling movements of the 
time of snow, to the laborious and domestic engagements of the 
coming season. The village was no longer thronged with 
visitors ; the trade, that had enlivened the shops for several 
months, began to disappear ; the highways lost their shining 
coats of beaten snow in impassable sloughs, and were deserted 
by the gay and noisy travellers who, in sleighs, had, during the 
winter, glided along their windings ; and, in short, everything 
seemed indicative of a mighty change, not only in the earth, but 


THE PIONEERS. 


239 


in those who derived their sources of comfort and happiness from 
its bosom. 

The younger members of the family in the Mansion-house, of 
which Louisa Grant was now habitually one, were by no means 
indifferent observers of these fluctuating and tardy changes. 
While the snow rendered the roads passable, they had partaken 
largely in the amusements of the winter, which included not 
only daily rides over the mountains, and through every valley 
within twenty miles of them, but divers ingenious and varied 
sources of pleasure, on the bosom of their frozen lake. There 
had been excursions in the equipage of Richard, when, with his 
four horses, he had outstripped the winds, as it flew over the 
glassy ice which invariably succeeded a thaw. Then the excit- 
ing and dangerous “ whirlgig” would be suffered to possess its 
moment of notice. Cutters, drawn by a single horse, and hand- 
sleds, impelled by the gentlemen, on skates, would each in turn 
be used ; and, in short, every source of relief against the tedi- 
ousness of a winter in the mountains was resorted to by the 
family. Elizabeth was compelled to acknowledge to her father, 
that the season, with the aid of his library, was much less irk- 
some than she had anticipated. 

As exercise in the open air was in some degree necessary to 
the habits of the family, when the constant recurrence of frosts 
and thaws rendered the roads, which were dangerous at the 
most favorable times, utterly impassable for wheels, saddle 
horses were used as substitutes for other conveyances. Mounted 
on small and sure-footed beasts, the ladies would again attempt 
the passages of the mountains, and penetrate into every retired 
glen, where the enterprise of a settler had induced him to esta- 
blish himself. In these excursions they were attended by some 
one or all of the gentlemen of the family, as their different pur- 
suits admitted. Young Edwards was hourly becoming more 
familiarized to his situation, and not unfrequently mingled in 
the parties with an unconcern and gaiety, that for a short time 
would expel all unpleasant recollections from his mind. Habit, 
and the buoyancy of youth, seemed to be getting the ascend- 


240 


THE PIONEERU. 


ency over the secret causes of his uneasiness ; though there 
were moments, when the same remarkable expression of disgust 
would cross his intercourse with Marmaduke, that had distin- 
guished their conversations in the first days of their acquaint- 
ance. 

It was at the close of the month of March, that the Sheriff 
succeeded in persuading his cousin and her young friend to 
accompany him in a ride to a hill that was said to overhang 
the lake in a manner peculiar to itself. 

“ Besides, cousin Bess,” continued the indefatigable Richard, 
“ we will stop and see the ‘ sugar bush’ of Billy Kirby : he is 
on the east end of the Ransom lot, making sugar for Jared 
Ransom. There is not a better hand over a kettle in the county 
than that same Kirby. You remember, ’duke, that I had him 
his first season, in our own camp ; and it is not a wonder that 
he knows something of his trade.” 

“ He’s a good chopper, is Billy,” observed Benjamin, who 
held the bridle of the horse while the Sheriff mounted ; “ and 
he handles an axe much the same as a forecastle-man does his 
marling-spike, or a tailor his goose. They say he’ll lift a pot- 
ash kettle off the arch alone, tho’ I can’t say that I’ve ever seen 
him do it with my own eyes ; but that is the say. And I’ve 
seen sugar of his making, which, maybe, wasn’t as white as an 
old top-gallant sail, but which my friend Mistress Prettybones, 
within there, said had the true molasses smack to it ; and you 
are not the one, Squire Dickens, to be told that Mistress 
Remarkable has a remarkable tooth for sweet things, in her nut 
grinder.” 

The loud laugh that succeeded the wit of Benjamin, and in 
which he participated, with no very harmonious sounds, him- 
self, very fully illustrated the congenial temper which existed 
between the pair. Most of its point was, however, lost on the 
rest of the party, who were either mounting their horses or 
assisting the ladies at the moment. When all were safely in 
their saddles, they moved through the village in great order. 
They paused for a moment before the door of Monsieur Le 


THE PIONEERS. 


241 


Quoi, until he could bestride his steed, and then issuing from 
the little cluster of houses, they took one of the principal of 
those highways that centred in the village. 

As each night brought with it a severe frost, which the heat 
of the succeeding day served to dissipate, the equestrians were 
compelled to proceed singly along the margin of the road, 
where the turf, and firmness of the ground, gave the horses a 
secure footing. Very trifling indications of vegetation were to 
be seen, the surface of the earth presenting a cold, wet, and 
cheerless aspect that chilled the blood. The snow yet lay 
scattered over most of those distant clearings that were visible 
in different parts of the mountains ; though here and there an 
opening might be seen, where, as the white covering yielded to 
the season, the bright and lively green of the wheat served to 
enkindle the hopes of the husbandman. Nothing could be 
more marked than the contrast * between the earth and the 
heavens ; for, while the former presented the dreary view that 
we have described, a warm and invigorating sun was dispensing 
his heats from a sky that contained but a solitary cloud, and 
through an atmosphere that softened the colors of the sensible 
horizon until it shone like a sea of blue. 

Richard led the way, on this, as on all other occasions, that 
did not require the exercise of unusual abilities ; and as he 
moved along, he essayed to enliven the party with the sounds 
of his experienced voice. 

“ This is your true sugar weather, ’duke,” he cried ; “ a frosty 
night and a sunshiny day. I warrant me that the sap runs 
like a mill -tail up the maples this warm morning. It is a pity, 
Judge, that you do not introduce a little more science into the 
manufactory of sugar among your tenants. It might be done, 
sir, without knowing as much as Doctor Franklin — it might be 
done, Judge Temple.” 

“The first object of my solicitude, friend Jones,” returned 
Marmaduke, “is to protect the sources of this great mine of 
comfort and wealth from the extravagance of the people them- 
selves. When this important point shall be achieved, it will 

11 


242 


THE PIONEERS. 


be in season to turn our attention to an improvement in the 
manufacture of the article. But thou knowest, Richard, that I 
have already subjected our sugar to the process of the refiner, 
and that the result has produced loaves as white as the snow 
on yon fields, and possessing the saccharine quality in its 
utmost purity.” 

“ Saccharine, or turpentine, or any other fine, Judge Temple, 
you have never made a loaf larger than a good sized sugar- 
plum,” returned the Sheriff. “Now, sir, I assert that no experi- 
ment is fairly tried, until it be reduced to practical purposes. 
If, sir, I owned a hundred, or, for that matter, two hundred 
thousand acres of land, as you do, I would build a sugar-house 
in the village ; I would invite learned men to an investigation 
of the subject, — and such are easily to be found, sir ; yes, sir, 
they are not difficult to find, — men who unite theory with prac- 
tice ; and I would select a wood of young and thrifty trees ; and 
instead of making loaves of the size of a lump of candy, dam’me, 
’duke, but I’d have them as big as a haycock.” 

“And purchase the cargo of one of those ships that they 
say are going to China,” cried Elizabeth ; “ turn your potash- 
kettles into tea-cups, the scows on the lake into saucers ; bake 
your cake in yonder-lime kiln, and invite the county to a tea- 
party. How wonderful are the projects of genius ! Really, 
sir, the world is of opinion that Judge Temple has tried the 
experiment fairly, though he did not cause his loaves to be cast 
in moulds of the magnitude that would suit your magnificent 
conceptions.” 

“ You may laugh, cousin Elizabeth — you may laugh, madam,” 
retorted Richard, turning himself so much in his saddle as to 
face the party, and making dignified gestures with his whip ; 
“ but I appeal to common sense, good sense, or, what is of 
more importance than either, to the sense of taste, which is one 
of the five natural senses, whether a big loaf of sugar is not 
likely to contain a better illustration of a proposition than such 
a lump as one of your Dutch women puts under her tongue 
when she drinks her tea. There are two ways of doing every- 


THE PIONEERS. 


243 


thing ; tlie right way, and the wrong way. You make sugar 
now, I will admit, and you may, possibly, make loaf-sugar ; but 
I take the question to be, whether you make the best possible 
sugar, and in the best possible loaves.” 

“ Thou art very right, Richard,” observed Marmaduke, with 
a gravity in his air that proved how much he was interested in 
the subject. “ It is very true that we manufacture sugar, and 
the inquiry is quite useful, how much ? and in what manner ? 
I hope to live to see the day, when farms and plantations shall 
be devoted to this branch of business. Little is known con- 
cerning the properties of the tree itself, the source of all this 
wealth ; how much it may be improved by cultivation, by the 
use of the hoe and plough.” 

“ Hoe and plough £’ roared the Sheriff ; — “ would you set a 
man hoeing round the root of a maple like this ?” — pointing to 
one of the noble trees that occur so frequently in that part of 
the country. — “ Hoeing trees ! are you mad, ’duke ? This is 
next to hunting for coal ! Poh ! poh ! my dear cousin, hear 
reason, and leave the management of the sugar-bush to me. 
Here is Mr. Le Quoi, he has been in the West Indies, and has 
seen sugar made. Let him give an account of how it is made 
there, and you will hear the philosophy of the thing. — Well, 
Monsieur, how is it that you make sugar in the West Indies ; 
anything in Judge Temple’s fashion ?” 

The gentleman to whom this query was put was mounted on 
a small horse, of no very fiery temperament, and was riding 
with his stirrups so short, as to bring his knees, while the 
animal rose a small ascent in the wood-path they were now 
travelling, into a somewhat hazardous vicinity to his chin. 
There was no room for gesticulation or grace in the delivery of 
his reply, for the mountain was steep and slippery ; and 
although the Frenchman had an eye of uncommon magnitude 
on either side of his face, they did not seem to be half compe- 
tent to forewarn him of the impediments of bushes, twigs, and 
fallen trees, that were momentarily crossing his path. With 
one hand employed in averting these dangers, and the other 


244 


THE PIONEERS. 


grasping his bridle, to check an untoward speed that his horse 
was assuming, the native of France responded as follows — 

“ Sucre ! dey do make sucre in Martinique : mais — mais ce 
n’est pas one tree; — ah — ah — vat you call — Je voudrois que 
ces cliemins fussent au diable — vat you call — steeck pour le 
promenade.” 

w Cane,” said Elizabeth, smiling at the imprecation which 
the wary Frenchman supposed was understood only by himself. 

“ Oui, mam’selle, cane.” 

“ Yes, yes,” cried Richard, “ cane is the vulgar name for it, 
but the real term is saccharum officinarum ; and what we call 
the sugar, or hard maple, is acer saccharinum. These are the 
learned names, Monsieur, and are such as, doubtless, you well 
understand.” 

“ Is this Greek or Latin, Mr. Edwards ?” whispered Elizabeth 
to the youth who was opening a passage for herself and her 
companions through the bushes — “ or perhaps it is a still more 
learned language, for an interpretation of which we must look 
to you.” 

The dark eye of the young man glanced towards the 
speaker, but its resentful expression changed in a moment. 

“I shall remember your doubts, Miss Temple, when next 
I visit my old friend Mohegan, and either his skill, or that of 
Leather-stocking, shall solve them.” 

“ And are you, then, really ignorant of their language ?” 

“ Not absolutely ; but the deep learning of Mr. Jones is more 
familiar to me, or even the polite masquerade of Monsieur Le 
Quoi.” 

“ Do you speak French ?” said the lady, with quickness. 

“ It is a common language with the Iroquois, and through 
the Canadas,” he answered, smiling. 

“ Ah ! but they are Mingoes, and your enemies.” 

w It will be well for me if I have no worse,” said the youth, 
dashing ahead with his horse, and putting an end^to the evasive 
dialogue. 

The discourse, however, was maintained with great vigor by 


THE PIONEERS. 


245 


Richard, until they reached an open wood on the summit of the 
mountain, where the hemlocks and pines totally disappeared, 
and a grove of the very trees that formed the subject of debate 
covered the earth with their tall, straight trunks and spreading 
branches, in stately pride. The underwood had been entirely 
removed from this grove, or bus’'a, as in conjunction with the 
simple arrangements for boiling, it was called, and a wide space 
of many acres was cleared, which might be likened to the dome 
of a mighty temple, to which the maples formed the columns, 
their tops composing the capitals, and the heavens the arch. 
A deep and careless incision had been made into each tree, 
near its root, into which little sprouts, formed of the bark of the 
alder, or of the sumach, were fastened ; and a trough, roughly 
dug out of the linden, or basswood, was lying at the root of 
each tree, to catch the sap that flowed from this extremely 
wasteful and inartificial arrangement. 

The party paused a moment, on gaining the flat, to breathe 
their horses, and, as the scene was entirely new to several of 
their number, to view the manner of collecting the fluid. A 
fine powerful voice aroused them from their momentary silence, 
as it rang under the branches of the trees, singing the following 
words of that inimitable doggrel, whose verses, if extended, 
would reach from the waters of the Connecticut to the shores 
of Ontario. The tune was, of course, that familiar air, which, 
although it is said to have been first applied to his nation in 
derision, circumstances have since rendered so glorious, that no 
American ever hears its jingling cadence without feeling a thrill 
at his heart. 

“ The Eastern States be full of men, • 

The Western full of woods, sir, 

The hills be like a cattle pen, 

The roads be full of goods, sir ! 

Then flow away, my sweety sap, 

And I will make you boily ; 

Nor catch a woodman’s hasty nap, 

For fear you should get roily. 

“ The maple tree’s a precious one, 

’Tis fuel, food, and timber ; 


240 


THE PIONEERS. 


And when your stiff day’s work is done, 

Its juice will make you limber, 

Then flow away, &c. 

“ And what’s a man without his glass, 

His wife without her tea, sir 1 
But neither cup nor mug will pass, 

Without this honey-bee, sir ! 

Then flow away,” &c. 

During the execution of this sonorous doggrel, Richard kept 
time with his whip on the mane of his charger, accompanying 
the gestures with a corresponding movement of his head and 
body. Towards the close of the song, he was overheard hum- 
ming the chorus, and at its last repetition, to strike in at 
“ sweety sap,” and carry a second through, with a prodigious 
addition to the “effect” of the noise, if not to that of the 
harmony. 

“ Well done us !” roared the Sheriff, on the same key with 
the tune; “ a very good song, Billy Kirby, and very well sung. 
Where got you the words, lad ? is there more of it, and can 
you furnish me with a copy ?” 

The sugar-boiler, who was busy in his “ camp,” at a short 
distance from the equestrians, turned his head with great indif- 
ference, and surveyed the party, as they approached, with 
admirable coolness. To each individual, as he or she rode 
close by him, he gave a nod that was extremely good-natured 
and affable, but which partook largely of the virtue of equality, 
for not even to the ladies did he in the least vary his mode of 
salutation, by touching the apology for a hat that he wore, or 
by any other motion than the one we have mentioned. 

“How goes it, how goes it, Sheriff?” said the wood-chopper ; 
“ what’s the good word in the village ?” 

“ Why, much as usual, Billy,” returned Richard. “ But how 
is this ? where are your four kettles, and your troughs, and your 
iron coolers ? Do you make sugar in this slovenly way ? I 
thought you were one of the best sugar-boilers in the county.” 

“ I’m all that, Squire Jones,” said Kirby, who continued his 
occupation ; “ I’ll turn my back to no man in the Otsego hills, 


THE PIONEERS. 


247 


for chopping and logging, for boiling down the maple sap, for 
tending brick-kiln, splitting out rails, making potash, and parl- 
ing too, or hoeing corn ; though I keep myself pretty much to 
the first business, seeing that the axe comes most natural 
to me.” 

“ You be von Jack All-trade, Mister Beel,” said Monsieur Le 
Quoi. 

“How?” said Kirby, looking up, with a simplicity which, 
coupled with his gigantic frame and manly face, was a little 
ridiculous, “ if you be for trade, Mounshere, here is some as 
good sugar as you’ll find the season through. It’s as clear from 
dirt as the Jarman Flats is free from stumps, and it has the raal 
maple flavor. Such stuff would sell in York for candy.” 

The Frenchman approached the place where Kirby had 
deposited his cakes of sugar, under the cover of a bark roof, and 
commenced the examination of the article, with the eye of one 
who well understood its value. Marmaduke had dismounted, 
and was viewing the works and the trees very closely, and not 
without frequent expressions of dissatisfaction at the careless 
manner in which the manufacture was conducted. 

“ You have much experience in these things, Kirby,” he said ; 
“what course do you pursue in making your sugar? I see 
you have but two kettles.” 

“Two is as good as two thousand, Judge. I’m none of your 
polite sugar-makers, that boils for the great folks ; but if the 
raal sweet maple is wanted, I can answer your turn. First, I 
choose, and then I tap my trees ; say along about the last of 
February, or in these mountains may be not afore the middle 
of March; but any way, just as the sap begins to cleverly 
run ■” 

“ Well, in this choice,” interrupted Marmaduke, “ are you 
governed by any outward signs that prove the quality of the 
tree ?” 

“ Why, there’s judgment in all things,” said Kirby, stirring 
the liquor in his kettles briskly. “ There’s something in know- 
ing when and how much to stir the pot. It’s a thing that must 


248 


THE PIONEERS. 


be larnt. Rome wasn’t built in a clay, *nor for that matter 
Templetown either, though it may be said to be a quick-growing- 
place. I never put my axe into astunty tree, or one that hasn’t 
a good, fresh looking bark ; for trees have disorders, like creaters ; 
and where’s the policy of taking a tree that’s sickly, any more 
than you’d choose a foundered horse to ride post, or an over- 
heated ox to do your logging.” 

“ All this is true. But what are the signs of illness ? how do 
you distinguish a tree that is well from one that is diseased ?” 

“ How does the doctor tell who has fever, and who colds ?” 
interrupted Richard. “ By examining the skin, and feeling the 
pulse, to be sure.” 

“ Sartain,” continued Billy ; “ the Squire an’t far out of the 
way. It’s by the look of the thing, sure enough. — Well, when 
the sap begins to. get a free run, I hang over the kettles, and 
set up the bush. My first boiling I push pretty smartly, till I 
get the virtue of the sap ; but when it begins to grow of a 
molasses nater, like this in the kettle, one mustn’t drive the fires 
too hard, or you’ll burn the sugar ; and burny sugar is bad to 
the taste, let it be never so sweet. So you ladle out from one 
kettle into the other till it gets so, when you put the stirring 
stick into it, that it will draw into a thread — when it takes a 
kerful hand to manage it. — There is a way to drain it off, after 
it has grained, by putting clay into the pans ; but it isn’t always 
practised : some doos, and some doosn’t. Well, Mounsher, bo 
we likely to make a trade ?” 

“ I will give you, Mister Beel, for von pound, dix sous.” 

“ No, I expect cash for’t : I never dicker my sugar. — But, 
seeing that it’s you, Mounsher,” said Billy, with a coaxing smile, 
“ I’ll agree to receive a gallon of rum, and cloth enough for two 
shirts, if you will take the molasses in the bargain. It’s raal 
good. I wouldn’t deceive you or any man ; and to my drinking 
it’s about the best molasses that come out of a sugar-bush.” 

“ Mr. Le Quoi has offered you ten pence,” said young Edwards. 

The manufacturer stared at the speaker with an air of great 
freedom, but made no reply. 


THE PIONEERS. 


240 


“ Oui,” said the Frenchman, “ ten penny. Je vous remercie, 
Monsieur : ah ! mon Anglois ! je l’oublie toujours.” 

The wood-chopper looked from one to the other with some 
displeasure ; and evidently imbibed the opinion that they were 
amusing themselves at his expense. He seized the enormous 
ladle, which was lying in one of his kettles, and began to stir the 
boiling liquid with great diligence. After a moment passed in 
dipping the ladle full, and then raising it on high, as the thick 
rich fluid fell back into the kettle, he suddenly gave it a whirl, 
as if to cool what yet remained, and offered the bowl to Mr. Le 
Quoi, saying — 

“ Taste that, Mounsher, and you will say it is worth more 
than you offer. The molasses itself would fetch the money.” 

The complaisant Frenchman, after several timid efforts to trust 
his lips in contact with the bowl of the ladle, got a good swallow 
of the scalding liquid. He clapped his hand on his breast, and 
looked most piteously at the ladies, for a single instant ; and 
then, to use the language of Billy, when he afterwards recount- 
ed the tale, “ no drumsticks ever went faster on the skin of a 
sheep, than the Frenchman’s legs, for a round or two : and then 
such swearing and spitting in French you never saw. But it’s 
a knowing one, from the old countries, that thinks to get his 
jokes smoothly over a wood-chopper.” 

The air of innocence with which Kirby resumed the occupa- 
tion of stirring the contents of his kettle would have completely 
deceived the spectators as to his agency in the temporary suffer- 
ing of Mr. Le Quoi, had not the reckless fellow thrust his tongue 
into his cheek, and cast his eyes over the party, with a simpli- 
city of expression that was too exquisite to be natural. Mr. Le 
Quoi soon recovered his presence of mind, and his decorum ; he 
briefly apologized to the ladies for one or two very intemperate 
expressions that had escaped him in a moment of extraordinary 
excitement, and remounting his horse, he continued in the back- 
ground during the remainder of the visit, the wit of Kirby 
putting a violent termination, at once, to all negotiations on the 
subject of trade. During all this time, Marmaduke had been 

11 * 


250 


THE PIONEERS. 


wandering about the grove, making observations on his favorite 
trees, and the wasteful manner in which the wood- chopper con- 
ducted his manufacture. 

“ It grieves me to witness the extravagance that pervades 
this country,” said the Judge, “ where the settlers trifle with the 
blessings they might enjoy, with the prodigality of successful 
adventurers. You are not exempt from the censure yourself, 
Kirby, for you make dreadful wounds in these trees where a 
small incision would effect the same object. I earnestly beg 
you will remember, that they are the growth of centuries, and 
when once gone, none living will see their loss remedied.” 

“ Why, I don’t know, Judge,” returned the man he addressed : 
“ it seems to me, if there’s a plenty of anything in this moun- 
taynious country, it’s the trees. If there’s any sin in chopping 
them, I’ve a pretty heavy account to settle ; for I’ve chopped 
over the best half of a thousand acres, with my own hands, 
counting both Yarmount and York states; and I hope to live 
to finish the whull, before I lay up my axe. Chopping comes 
quite natural to me, and I wish no other employment ; but 
Jared Ransom said that he thought the sugar was likely to be 
scurce this season, seeing that so many folks was coming into 
the settlement, and so I concluded to take the ‘ bush ’ on 
sheares, for this one spring. What’s the best news, Judge, 
consarning ashes? do pots hold so that a man can live by 
them still \ I s’pose they will, if they keep on fighting across 
the water.” 

“ Thou reasoned with judgment, William,” returned Marma- 
duke, “ So long as the old world is to be convulsed with wars, 
so long will the harvest of America continue.” 

“ Well, it’s an ill wind, Judge, that blows nobody any good. 
I’m sure the country is in a thriving way ; and, though I know 
you calkilate greatly on the trees, setting as much store by 
them as some men would by their children, yet to my eyes 
they are a sore sight at any time, unless I’m privileged to work 
my will on them ; in which case I can’t say but they are more 
to my liking. I have heard the settlers from the old countries 


THE PIONEERS. 


251 


say that their rich men keep great oaks and elms, that would 
make a barrel of pots to the. tree, standing round their doors 
and humsteads, and scattered over their farms, just to look at. 
Now, I call no country much improved, that is pretty well 
covered with trees. Stumps are a different thing, for they don’t 
shade the land; and besides, if you dig them, they make a 
fence that will turn anything bigger than a hog, being grand 
for breachy cattle.” 

“ Opinions on such subjects vary much in different countries,” 
said Marmaduke ; “ but it is not as ornaments that I value the 
noble trees of this country ; it is for their usefulness. We are 
stripping the forests, as if a single year would replace what we 
destroy. But the hour approaches, when the laws will take 
notice of not only the woods, but the game they contain also.” 

With this consoling reflection, Marmaduke remounted, and 
the equestrians passed the sugar-camp, on their way to the pro- 
mised landscape of Richard. The wood-chopper was left alone, 
in the bosom of the forest, to pursue his labors. Elizabeth 
turned her head, when they reached the point where they were 
to descend the mountain, and thought that the slow fires that 
were glimmering under his enormous kettles, his little brush 
shelter, covered with pieces of hemlock bark, his gigantic size, 
as he wielded his ladle with a steady and knowing air, aided 
by the background of stately trees, with their spouts and 
troughs, formed, altogether, no unreal picture of human life in its 
first stages of civilization. Perhaps whatever the scene 
possessed of a romantic character was not injured by the 
powerful tones of Kirby’s voice ringing through the woods, as 
he again awoke his strains to another tune, which was but little 
more scientific than the former. All that she understood of the 
words were — 


“ And when the proud forest is falling, 
To my oxen cheerfully calling. 

From morn until night I am bawling, 
Woe, back there, and hoy and gee ; 
Till our labor is mutually ended, 


252 


THE PIONEERS 


By my strength and cattle befriended, 

And against the musquitoes defended, 

By the bark of the walnut-tree. 

“ Away ! then, you lads who would buy land, 
Choose the oak that grows on the high land, 
Or the silvery pine on the dry land, 

It matters but little to mo ” 


THE PIONEERS. 


253 


CHAPTER XXII. 

Speed ! Malise, speed ! such cause of haste 
Thine active sinews never braced. 

Scott 

The roads of Otsego, if we except the principal highways, 
were, at the early day of our tale, but little better than wood- 
paths. The high trees that were growing on the very verge of 
the wheel-tracks excluded the sun’s rays, unless at meridian ; 
and the slowness of the evaporation, united with the rich mould 
of vegetable decomposition that covered the whole country to 
the depth of several inches, occasioned but an indifferent foun- 
dation for the footing of travellers. Added to these were the 
inequalities of a natural surface, and the constant recurrence of 
enormous and slippery roots that were laid bare by the removal 
of the light soil, together with stumps of trees, to make a 
passage not only difficult but dangerous. Yet the riders, among 
these numerous obstructions, which were such as would terrify’' 
an unpractised eye, gave no demonstrations of uneasiness, as 
their horses toiled through the sloughs, or trotted with uncer- 
tain paces along the dark route. In many places, the marks on 
the trees were the only indications of a road, with perhaps an 
occasional remnant of a pine, that, by being cut close to the 
earth, so as to leave nothing visible but its base of roots, 
spreading for twenty feet in every direction, was apparently 
placed there as a beacon to warn the traveller that it was the 
centre of a highway. 

Into one of these roads the active sheriff led the way, first 
striking out of the footpath, by which they had descended from 
the sugar-bush, across a little bridge, formed of round logs laid 
loosely on sleepers of pine, in which large openings of a 


254 


THE PIONEERS. 


formidable width were frequent. The nag of Richard, when it 
reached one of these gaps, laid its nose along the logs, and 
stepped across the difficult passage with the sagacity of a man ; 
but the blooded filly which Miss Temple rode disdained so 
humble a movement. She made a step or two with an unusual 
caution, and then on reaching the broadest opening, obedient 
to the curb and whip of her fearless mistress, she bounded 
across the dangerous pass with the activity of a squirrel. 

“ Gently, gently, my child,” said Marmaduke, who was fol- 
lowing in the manner of Richard, “ this is not a country for 
equestrian feats. Much prudence is requisite to journey through 
our rough paths with safety. Thou mayst practise thy skill in 
horsemanship on the plains of New Jersey with safety ; but in 
the hills of Otsego they may be suspended for a time.” 

“ I may as well then relinquish my saddle at once, dear sir,” 
returned his daughter ; “ for if it is to be laid aside until this 
wild country be improved, old age will overtake me, and put 
an end to what you term my equestrian feats.” 

“ Say not so, my child,” returned her father ; “ but if thou 
venturest again, as in crossing this bridge, old age will never 
overtake thee, but I shall be left to mourn thee, cut off in thy 
pride, my Elizabeth. If thou hadst seen this district of 
country, as I did, when it lay in the sleep of nature, and had 
witnessed its rapid changes, as it awoke to supply the wants of 
man, thou wouldst curb thy impatience for a little time, though 
thou sliouldst not check thy steed.” 

“I recollect hearing you speak of your first visit to these 
woods, but the impression is faint, and blended with the con- 
fused images of childhood. Wild and unsettled as it may yet 
seem, it must have been a thousand times more dreary then. 
Will you repeat, dear sir, what you then thought of your enter- 
prise, and what you felt ?” 

During this speech of Elizabeth, which was uttered with the 
fervor of affection, young Edwards rode more closely to the side 
of the Judge, and bent his dark eyes on his countenance with 
an expression that seemed to read his thoughts. 


THE PIONEERS. 


255 


“ Thou wast then young, my child, but must remember when 
I left thee and thy mother, to take my first survey of these unin- 
habited mountains,” said Marmaduke. “ But thou dost not feel 
all the secret motives that can urge a man to endure privations 
in order to accumulate wealth. In my case they have not been 
trifling, and God has been pleased to smile on my efforts. If I 
have encountered pain, famine, and disease, in accomplishing 
the settlement of this rough territory, I have not the misery of 
failure to add to the grievances.” 

“ Famine !” echoed Elizabeth ; “ I thought this was the land 
of abundance ! had you famine to contend with ?” 

“ Even so, my child,” said her father. “ Those who look 
around them now, and see the loads of produce that issue out 
of every wild path in these mountains, during the season of tra- 
velling, will hardly credit that no more than five years have 
elapsed, since the tenants of these woods were compelled to eat 
the scanty fruits of the forest to sustain life, and, with their 
unpractised skill, to hunt the beasts as food for their starving 
families.” 

“ Ay !” cried Richard, who happened to overhear the last of 
this speech, between the notes of the wood-chopper’s song, 
which he was endeavoring to breathe aloud ; “ that was the 
starving time,* cousin Bess. I grew as lank as a weasel that 
fall, and my face was as pale as one of your fever-and-ague 
visages. Monsieur Le Quoi, there, fell away like a pumpkin in 
drying ; nor do I think you have got fairly over it yet, Monsieur. 
Benjamin, I thought, bore it with a worse grace than any of the 

* The author has no better apology for interrupting the interest of a work of 
fiction by these desultory dialogues, than that they have reference to facts. In 
reviewing his work, after so many years, he is compelled to confess it is injured by 
too many allusions to incidents that are not at all suited to satisfy the just expecta- 
tions of the general reader. One of these events is slightly touched on, in the com- 
mencement of this chapter. 

More than thirty years since, a very near and dear relative of the writer, an elder 
sister and a second mother, was killed by a fall from a horse, in a ride among tho 
very mountains mentioned in this tale. Few of her sex and years were more exten- 
sively known, or more universally beloved, than the admirable woman who thus 
fell a victim to the chances of the wilderness. 


256 


THE PIONEERS. 


family ; for lie swore it was harder to endure than a short 
allowance in the calm latitudes. Benjamin is a sad fellow to 
swear, if you starve him ever so little. I had half a mind to 
quit you then, ’duke, and to go into Pennsylvania to fatten ; but, 
damn it, thinks I, we are sisters’ children, and I will live or die 
with him, after all.” 

“ I do not forget thy kindness,” said Marmaduke, “ nor that 
we are of one blood.” 

“ But, my dear father,” cried the wondering Elizabeth, “ was 
there actual suffering ? where were the beautiful and fertile 
vales of the Mohawk ? could they not furnish food for your 
wants ?” 

“It was a season of scarcity; the necessities of life com- 
manded a high price in Europe, and were greedily sought after 
by the speculators. The emigrants, from the east to the west, 
invariably passed along the valley of the Mohawk, and swept 
away the means of subsistence, like a swarm of locusts. Nor 
were the people on the Flats in a much better condition. They 
were in want themselves, but they spared the little excess of 
provisions that nature did not absolutely require, with the 
justice of the German character. There was no grinding of the 
poor. The word speculator was then unknown to them. I 
have seen many a stout man, bending under the load of the 
bag of meal, which he was carrying from the Mills of the 
Mohawk, through the rugged passes of these mountains, to feed 
his half-famished children, with a heart so light, as he 
approached his hut, that the thirty miles he had passed 
seemed nothing. Remember, my child, it was in our very 
infancy ; we had neither mills, nor grain, nor roads, nor often 
clearings; we had nothing of increase, but the mouths that 
were to be fed ; for, even at that inauspicious moment, the rest- 
less spirit of emigration was not idle ; nay, the general scarcity 
which extended to the east, tended to increase the number of 
adventurers.” 

“ And how, dearest father, didst tliou encounter this dreadful 
evil ?” said Elizabeth, unconsciously adopting the dialect of her 


THE PIONEERS. 


257 


parent in the warmth of her sympathy. “ Upon thee must 
have fallen the responsibility, if not the suffering.” 

“ It did, Elizabeth,” returned the Judge, pausing for a single 
moment, as if musing on his former feelings. “ I had hundreds, 
at that dreadful time, daily looking up to me for bread. The 
sufferings of their families, and the gloomy prospect before 

them, had paralysed the enterprise and efforts of my settlers ; 
hunger drove them to the woods for food, but despair sent 
them at night, enfeebled and wan, to a sleepless pillow. It was 
not a moment for inaction. I purchased cargoes of wheat from 
the granaries of Pennsylvania ; they were landed at Albany, 
and brought up the Mohawk in boats ; from thence it was 
transported on pack-horses into the wilderness, and distributed 
among my people. Seines were made, and the lakes and rivers 
were dragged for fish. Something like a miracle was wrought 
in our favor, for enormous shoals of herrings were discovered to 
have wandered five hundred miles, through the windings of the 
impetuous Susquehanna, and the lake was alive with their 
numbers. These were at length caught, and dealt out to the 
people, with proper portions of salt ; and from that moment we 
again began to prosper.”* 

“ Yes,” cried Richard, “ and I was the man who served out 
the fish and the salt. When the poor devils came to receive 
their rations, Benjamin, who was my deputy, was obliged to 
keep them off by stretching ropes around me, for they smelt so 
of garlic, from eating nothing but the wild onion, that the 
fumes put me out often in my measurement. You were a child 

then, Bess, and knew nothing of the matter, for great care was 
observed to keep both you and your mother from suffering. 
That year put me back dreadfully, both in the breed of my hogs 
and of my turkeys.” 

“ No, Bess,” cried the Judge, in a more cheerful tone, disre- 
garding the interruption of his cousin, “ he who hears of the 
settlement of a country knows but little of the toil and suffering 


* All this was literally true. 


258 


THE PIONEERS. 


by which it is accomplished. Unimproved and wild as this 
district now seems to your eyes, what was it when I first entered 
the hills ! I left my party, the morning of my arrival, near the 
farms of the Cherry Valley, and, following a deer-path, rode to 
the summit of the mountain that I have since called Mount 
Vision ; for the sight that there met my eyes seemed to me as 
the deceptions of a dream. The fire had run over the pinnacle, 
and, in a great measure, laid open the view. The leaves were 
fallen, and I mounted a tree, and sat for an hour looking on the 
silent wilderness. Not an opening was to be seen in the bound- 
less forest, except where the lake lay, like a mirror of glass. 
The water was covered by myriads of the wild-fowl that migrate 
with the changes in the season ; and, while in my situation on 
the branch of the beech, I saw a bear, with her cubs, descend to 
the shore to drink. I had met many deer, gliding through the 
woods, in my journey ; but not the vestige of a man could I 
trace during my progress, nor from my elevated observatory. 
No clearing, no hut, none of the winding roads that are now to 
be seen, were there ; nothing but mountains rising behind 
mountains ; and the valley, with its surface of branches, enli- 
vened here and there with the faded foliage of some tree, that 
parted from its leaves with more than ordinary reluctance. 
Even the Susquehanna was then hid, by the height and density 
of the forest.” 

“ And were you alone ?” asked Elizabeth ; “ passed you the 
night in that solitary state ?” 

“ Not so, my child,” returned her father. “ After musing on 
the scene for an hour, with a mingled feeling of pleasure and 
desolation, I left my perch and descended the mountain. My 
horse was left to browse on the twigs that grew within his 
reach, while I explored the shores of the lake, and the spot 
where Templeton stands. A pine of more than ordinary growth 
stood where my dwelling is now placed ! a wind-row had been 
opened through the trees from thence to the lake, and my view 
was but little impeded. Under the branches of that tree I 
made my solitary dinner ; I had just finished my repast as I 


THE PIONEERS. 


259 


saw a smoke curling from under the mountain, near the eastern 
hank of the lake. It was the only indication of the vicinity of 
man that I had then seen. After much toil I made my way to 
the spot, and found a rough cabin of logs, built against the foot 
of a rock, and bearing the marks of a tenant, though I found no 
one within it ” 

“ It was the hut of Leather-stocking,” said Edwards, 
quickly. 

“ It was ; though I at first supposed it to be a habitation of 
the Indians. But while I was lingering around the spot, Natty 
made his appearance, staggering under the carcase of a buck 
that he had slain. Our acquaintance commenced at that time ; 
before, I had never heard that such a being tenanted the woods. 
He launched his bark canoe, and set me across the foot of the 
lake, to the place where I had fastened my horse, and pointed 
out a spot where he might get a scanty browsing until the 
morning ; when I returned and passed the night in the cabin of 
the hunter.” 

Miss Temple was so much struck by the deep attention of 
young Edwards, during this speech, that she forgot to resume 
her interrogatories ; but the youth himself continued the discourse, 
by asking — 

“ And how did the Leather-stocking discharge the duties of a 
host, sir ?” 

“ Why, simply but kindly, until late in the evening, when he 
discovered my name and object, and the cordiality of his man- 
ner very sensibly diminished, or, I might better say, disappeared. 
He considered the introduction of the settlers as an innovation 
on his rights, I believe ; for he expressed much dissatisfaction at 
the measure, though it was in his confused and ambiguous 
manner. I hardly understood his objections myself, but supposed 
they referred chiefly to an interruption of the hunting.” 

“ Had you then purchased the estate, or were you examining 
it with an intent to buy ?” asked Edwards, a little abruptly. 

“ It had been mine for several years. It was with a view to 
people the land that I visited the lake. Natty treated me 


260 


THE PIONEERS. 


hospitably, but coldly, I thought, after he learned the nature 
of my journey. I slept on his own bear-skin, however, and in 
the morning joined my surveyors again.” 

“ Said he nothing of the Indian rights, sir ? The Leather- 
stocking is much given to impeach the justice of the tenure by 
which the whites hold the country.” 

“ I remember that he spoke of them, but I did not clearly 
comprehend him, and may have forgotten what he said ; for 
the Indian title was extinguished so far back as the close of the 
old war ; and if it had not been at all, I hold under the patents 
of the Royal Governors, confirmed by an act of our own State 
Legislature, and no court in the country can affect my title.” 

“ Doubtless, sir, your title is both legal and equitable,” 
returned the youth, coldly, reining his horse back, and remaining 
silent till the subject was changed. 

It was seldom Mr. Jones suffered any conversation to continue 
for a great length of time without his participation. It seems 
that he was of the party that Judge Temple had designated as 
his surveyors ; and he embraced the opportunity of the pause 
that succeeded the retreat of young Edwards, to take up the 
discourse, and with it a narration of their further proceedings, 
after his own manner. As it wanted, however, the interest 
that had accompanied the description of the Judge, we must 
decline the task of committing his sentences to paper. 

They soon reached the point where the promised view was 
to be seen. It was one of those picturesque and peculiar scenes 
that belong to the Otsego, but which required the absence of 
the ice, and the softness of a summer’s landscape, to be enjoyed 
in all its beauty. Marmaduke had early forewarned his 
daughter of the season, and of its effect on the prospect ; and 
after casting a cursory glance at its capabilities, the party returned 
homeward, perfectly satisfied that its beauties would repay them 
for the toil of a second ride, at a more propitious season. 

“ The spring is the gloomy time of the American year,” said 
the Judge; “and it is more peculiarly the case in these moun- 
tains. The winter seems to retreat to the fastnesses of the hills, 


THE PIONEERS. 


261 


as to the citadel of its dominion, and is only expelled after a 
tedious siege, in which either party, at times, would seem to be 
gaining the victory.” 

“ A very just and apposite figure, Judge Temple,” observed 
the Sheriff ; “ and the garrison under the command of Jack 
Frost make formidable sorties — you understand what 1 mean by 
sorties, Monsieur ; sallies in English — and sometimes drive 
General Spring and his troops back again into the low coun- 
tries ” 

“ Yes, sair,” returned the Frenchman, whose prominent eyes 
were watching the precarious footsteps of the beast he rode, as 
it picked its dangerous way among the roots of trees, holes, log- 
bridges, and sloughs, that formed the aggregate of the highway. 
“ Je vous enlend ; de low countrie is freeze up for half de year.” 

The error of Mr. Le Quoi was not noticed by the Sheriff ; 
and the rest of the party were yielding to the influence of the 
changeful season, which was already teaching the equestrians 
that a continuance of its mildness was not to be expected for 
any length of time. Silence and thoughtfulness succeeded the 
gaiety and conversation that had prevailed during the com- 
mencement of the ride, as clouds began to gather about the 
heavens, apparently collecting from every quarter, in quick 
motion, without the agency of a breath of air. 

While riding over one of the cleared eminences that occurred 
in their route, the watchful eye of Judge Temple pointed out to 
his daughter the approach of a tempest. Flurries of snow 
already obscured the mountain that formed the northern bound- 
ary of the lake, and the genial sensation which had quickened 
the blood through their veins, was already succeeded by the 
deadening influence of an approaching north-wester . 

All of the party were now busily engaged in making the 
best of their way to the village, though the badness of the roads 
frequently compelled them to check the impatience of their 
animals, which often carried them over places that would not 
admit of any gait faster than a walk. 

Richard continued in advance, followed by Mr. Le Quoi; 


2C2 


THE PIONEERS. 


next to whom rode Elizabeth, who seemed to have imbibed the 
distance which pervaded the manner of young Edwards, since 
the termination of the discourse between the latter and her 
father. Marmaduke followed his daughter, giving her frequent 
and tender warnings as to the management of her horse. It 
was, possibly, the evident dependence that Louisa Grant placed 
on his assistance, which induced the youth to continue by her 
side, as they pursued their way through a dreary and dark 
wood, where the rays of the sun could but rarely penetrate, and 
where even the daylight was obscured and rendered gloomy by 
the deep forests that surrounded them. No wind had yet 
reached the spot where the equestrians were in motion, but 
that dead stillness that often precedes a storm contributed to 
render their situation more irksome than if they were already 
subject to the fury of the tempest. Suddenly the voice of 
young Edwards was heard shouting in those appalling tones 
that carry alarm to the very soul, and which curdle the blood 
of those that hear them — 

“ A tree ! a tree ! whip — spur for your lives ! a tree ! a 
tree !” 

“ A tree ! a tree !” echoed Richard, giving his horse a blow 
that caused the alarmed beast to jump nearly a rod, throwing 
the mud and water into the air like a hurricane. 

“ Von tree ! von tree !” shouted the Frenchman, bending 
his body on the neck of his charger, shutting his eyes, and 
playing on the ribs of his beast with his heels at a rate that 
caused him to be conveyed on the crupper of the Sheriff with a 
marvellous speed. 

Elizabeth checked her filly, and looked up with an uncon- 
scious but alarmed air, at the very cause of their danger, while 
she listened to the crackling sounds that awoke the stillness of 
the forest ; but the next instant her bridle was seized by her 
father, who cried — 

“ God protect my child !” and she felt herself hurried onward, 
impelled by the vigor of his nervous arm. 

Each one of the party bowed to his saddle-bows, as the 


263 




THE PIONEERS. 

tearing of branches was succeeded by a sound like the rushing 
of the winds, which was followed by a thundering report, and 
a shock that caused the very earth to tremble, as one of the 
noblest ruins of the forest fell directly across their path. 

One glance was enough to assure Judge Temple that his 
daughter, and those in front of him, were safe, and he turned 
his eyes, in dreadful anxiety, to learn the fate of the others. 
Young Edwards was on the opposite side of the tree, his form 
thrown back in his saddle to its utmost distance, his left hand 
drawing up his bridle with its greatest force, while the right 
grasped that of Miss Grant, so as to draw the head of her horse 
under its body. Both the animals stood shaking in every joint 
with terror, and snorting fearfully. Louisa herself had 
relinquished her reins, and with her hands pressed on her face, 
sat bending forward in her saddle, in an attitude of despair, 
mingled strangely with resignation. 

“Are you safe?” cried the Judge, first breaking the awful 
silence of the moment. 

“ By God’s blessing,” returned the youth ; “ but if there had 
been branches to the tree we must have been lost ” 

He was interrupted by the figure of Louisa slowly yielding in 
her saddle ; and but for his arm she would have sunk to the 
earth. Terror, however, was the only injury that the clergy- 
man’s daughter had sustained, and with the aid of Elizabeth, she 
was soon restored to her senses. After some little time was lost 
in recovering her strength, the young lady was replaced in her 
saddle, and supported on either side by Judge Temple and Mr, 
Edwards, she was enabled to follow the party in their slow 
progress. 

“ The sudden fallings of the trees,” said Marmaduke, “ are the 
most dangerous accidents in the forest, for they are not to be 
foreseen, being impelled by no winds, nor any extraneous or visi- 
ble cause against which we can guard.” 

“ The reason of their falling, J udge Temple, is very obvious,” 
said the Sheriff. “ The tree is old and decayed, and it is gra- 
dually weakened by the frosts, until a line drawn from the centre 


204 


THE PIONEERS. 


of gravity falls without its base, and then the tree comes of a 
certainty ; and I should like to know what greater compulsion 
there can be for anything than a mathematical certainty. I 
studied mathe 

“ Very true, Richard,” interrupted Marmaduke ; “ thy reason- 
ing is true, and if my memory be not over treacherous, was 
furnished by myself on a former occasion. But how is one to 
guard against the danger ? canst thou go through the forests, 
measuring the bases, and calculating the centres of the oaks ? 
answer me that, friend Jones, and I will say thou wilt do the 
country a service.” 

“ Answer thee that, friend Temple !” returned Richard ; “ a 
well educated man can answer thee anything, sir. Do any trees 
fall in this manner but such as are decayed ? Take care not to 
approach the roots of a rotten tree, and you will be safe 
enough.” 

“ That would be excluding us entirely from the forests,” said 
Marmaduke. “But, happily, the winds usually force down 
most of these dangerous ruins, as their currents are admitted 
into the woods by the surrounding clearings, and such a fall as 
this has been is very rare.” 

Louisa, by this time, had recovered so much strength as to 
allow the party to proceed at a quicker pace, but long before 
they were safely housed, they were overtaken by the storm •; 
and when they dismounted at the door of the Mansion-house, 
the black plumes of Miss Temple’s hat were drooping with the 
weight of a load of damp snow, and the coats of the gentlemen 
were powdered with the same material. 

While Edwards was assisting Louisa from her horse, the 
warm-hearted girl caught his hand with fervor, and whispered — 

“Now, Mr. Edwards, both father and daughter owe their 
lives to you.” 

A driving north westerly storm succeeded, and before the 
sun was set every vestige of spring had vanished ; the lake, the 
mountains, the village, and the fields, being again hidden under 
one dazzling coat of snow. 


THE PIONEERS. 


2G5 


CHAPTER XXII. 

Men, boys, and girls, 

Desert th’ unpeopled village ; and wild crowds 
Spread o’er the plain, by the sweet phrensy driven. 

Somerville. 


From this time to the close of April the weather continued 
to be a succession of great and rapid changes. One day, the 
soft airs of spring seemed to be stealing along the valley, and in 
unison with an invigorating sun, attempting covertly to rouse 
the dormant powers of the vegetable world ; while on the next, 
the surly blasts from the north would sweep across the lake, 
and erase every impression left by their gentle adversaries. 
The snow, however, finally disappeared, and the green wheat- 
fields were seen in every direction, spotted with the dark and 
charred stumps that had, the preceding season, supported some 
of the proudest trees of the forest. Ploughs were in motion, 
wherever those useful implements could be used, and the 
smokes of the sugar-camps were no longer seen issuing from 
the woods of maple. The lake had lost the beauty of a field 
of ice, but still a dark and gloomy covering concealed its 
waters, for the absence of currents left them yet hidden under a 
porous crust, which, saturated with the fluid, barely retained 
enough strength to preserve the contiguity of its parts. Large 
flocks of wild geese were seen passing over the country, which 
hovered, for a time, around the hidden sheet of water, appa- 
rently searching for a resting-place ; and then, on finding them- 
selves excluded by the chill covering, would soar away to the 
north, filling the air with discordant screams, as if venting their 
complaints at the tardy operations of nature. 

For a week, the dark covering of the Otsego was left to the 
12 


2G6 


THE PIONEERS. 


undisturbed possession of two eagles, who alighted on the 
centre of its field, and sat eyeing their undisputed territory. 
During the presence of these monarchs of the air, the flocks of 
migrating birds avoided crossing the plain of ice, by turning 
into the hills, apparently seeking the protection of the forests, 
while the white and bald heads of the tenants of the lake were 
turned upwards, with a look of contempt. But the time had 
come, when even these kings of birds were to be dispossessed. 
An opening had been gradually increasing at the lower extre- 
mity of the lake, and around the dark spot where the current 
of the river prevented the formation of ice, during even the 
coldest weather ; and the fresh southerly winds, that now 
breathed freely upon the valley, made an impression on the 
waters. Mimic waves began to curl over the margin of the 
frozen field, which exhibited an outline of crystallizations that 
slowly receded towards the north. At each step the power of 
the winds and the waves increased, until, after a struggle of a 
few hours, the turbulent little billows succeeded in setting the 
whole field in motion, when it was driven beyond the reach of 
the eye, with a rapidity that was as magical as the change pro- 
duced in the scene by this expulsion of the lingering remnant 
of winter. Just as the last sheet of agitated ice was disap- 
pearing in the distance, the eagles rose, and soared with a wide 
sweep above the clouds, while the waves tossed their little- caps 
of snow into the air, as if rioting in their release from a thraldom 
of five months’ duration. 

The following morning Elizabeth was awakened by the 
exhilarating sounds of the martins, who were quarrelling and 
chattering around the little boxes suspended above her windows, 
and the cries of Richard, who was calling in tones animating as 
the signs of the season itself — 

“ Awake ! awake ! my fair lady ! the gulls are hovering over 
the lake already, and the heavens are alive with pigeons. You 
may look an hour before you can find a hole through which to 
get a peep at the sun. Awake ! awake ! lazy ones ! Benjamin 
is overhauling the ammunition, and we only wait for our 


THE PIONEERS. 


267 


breakfasts, and away for the mountains and pigeon shoot- 
ing.” 

There was no resisting this animated appeal, and in a few 
minutes Miss Temple and her friend descended to the parlor. 
The doors of the hall were thrown open, and the mild, balmy 
air of a clear spring morning was ventilating the apartment, 
where the vigilance of the ex-steward had been so long main- 
taining an artificial heat with such unremitted diligence. The 
gentlemen were impatiently waiting for their morning’s repast, 
each equipped in the garb of a sportsman. Mr. Jones made 
many visits to the southern door, and would cry — 

“ See, cousin Bess ! see, ’duke, the pigeon-roosts of the south 
have broken up ! They are growing more thick every instant. 
Here is a flock that the eye cannot see the end of. There is 
food enough in it to keep the army of Xerxes for a month, and 
feathers enough to make beds for the whole country. Xerxes, 
Mr. Edwards, was a Grecian king, who — no, he was a Turk, or 
a Persian, who wanted to conquer Greece, just the same as 
these rascals will overrun our wheat fields, when they come 
back in the fall. Away ! away ! Bess ; I long to pepper 
them.” 

In this wish both Marmaduke and young Edwards seemed 
equally to participate, for the sight was exhilarating to a sports- 
man ; and the ladies soon dismissed the party after a hasty 
breakfast. 

If the heavens were alive with pigeons, the whole village 
seemed equally in motion, with men, women, and children. 
Every species of fire-arms, from the French ducking-gun with 
a barrel near six feet in length, to the common horseman’s 
pistol, was to be seen in the hands of the men and boys ; while 
bows and arrows, some made of the simple stick of a walnut 
sapling, and others in a rude imitation of the ancient cross-bows, 
were carried by many of the latter. 

The houses and the signs of life apparent in the village, 
drove the alarmed birds from the direct line of their flight, 
towards the mountains, along the sides and near the bases of 


208 


THE PIONEERS. 


which they were glancing in dense masses, equally wonderful 
by the rapidity of their motion, and their incredible numbers. 

We have already said, that across the inclined plane which 
fell from the steep ascent of the mountain to the banks of the 
Susquehanna, ran the highway, on either side of which a 
clearing of many acres had been made at a very early day. 
Over those clearings, and up the eastern mountain, and along 
the dangerous path that was cut into its side, the different 
individuals posted themselves, and in a few moments the attack 
commenced. 

Among the sportsmen was the tall, gaunt form of Leather- 
stocking, walking over the field, with his rifle hanging on his 
arm, his dogs at his heels ; the latter now scenting the dead or 
wounded birds, that were beginning to tumble from the flocks ; 
and then crouching under the legs of their master, as if 
they participated in his feelings at this wasteful and unsports- 
manlike execution. 

The reports of the fire-arms became rapid, whole volleys 
rising from the plain, as flocks of more than ordinary numbers 
darted over the opening, shadowing the field like a cloud ; 
and then the light smoke of a single piece would issue from 
among the leafless bushes on the mountain, as death was hurled 
on the retreat of the affrighted birds, who were rising from a 
volley, in a vain effort to escape. Arrows, and missiles of every 
kind, were in the midst of the flocks ; and so numerous were 
the birds, and so low did they take their flight, that even long 
poles, in the hands of those on the sides of the mountain, were 
used to strike them to the earth. 

During all this time, Mr. Jones, who disdained the humble 
and ordinary means of destruction used by his companions, 
was busily occupied, aided by Benjamin, in making arrange- 
ments for an assault of more than ordinarily fatal character. 
Among the relics of the old military excursions, that occasion- 
ally are discovered throughout the different districts of the 
western part of New York, there had been found in Templeton, 
at its settlement, a small swivel, which would carry a ball of a 


THE PIONEERS. 


269 


pound weight. It was thought to have been deserted by a war 
party of the whites, in one of their inroads into the Indian 
settlements, when, perhaps, convenience or their necessity 
induced them to leave such an incumbrance behind them in 
the woods. This miniature cannon had been released from the 
rust, and being mounted on little wheels, was now in a state 
for actual service. For several years, it was the sole organ for 
extraordinary rejoicings used in those mountains. On the 
mornings of the Fourths of July, it would be heard ringing 
among the hills ; and even Captain Hollister, who was the high- 
est authority in that part of the country on all such occasions, 
affirmed that, considering its dimensions, it was no despicable gun 
for a salute. It was somewhat the worse for the service it had 
performed, it is true, there being but a trifling difference in size 
between the touch-hole and the muzzle. Still, the grand 
conceptions of Richard had suggested the importance of such 
an instrument in hurling death at his nimble enemies. The 
swivel was dragged by a horse into a part of the open space 
that the Sheriff thought most eligible for planting a battery of 
the kind, and Mr. Pump proceeded to load it. Several handfuls 
of duck-shot were placed on top of the powder, and the major- 
domo announced that his piece was ready for service. 

The sight of such an implement collected all the idle specta- 
tors to the spot, who, being mostly boys, filled the air with 
cries of exultation and delight. The gun was pointed high, and 
Richard, holding a coal of fire in a pair of tongs, patiently 
took his seat on a stump, awaiting the appearance of a flock 
worthy of his notice. 

So prodigious was the number of the birds, that the scattering 
fire of the guns, with the hurling of missiles, and the cries of 
the boys, had no other effect than to break off small flocks from 
the immense masses that continued to dart along the valley, as 
if the whole of the feathered tribe were pouring through that 
one pass. None pretended to collect the game, which lay 
scattered over the fields in such profusion as to cover the very 
ground with the fluttering victims. 


270 


THE PIONEERS. 


Leather-stocking was a silent, but uneasy spectator of all 
these proceedings, but was able to keep his sentiments to him- 
self until he saw the introduction of the swivel into the sports. 

“ This comes of settling a country !” he said ; “ here have I 
known the pigeons to fly for forty long years, and, till you made 
your clearings, there was nobody to skear or to hurt them. I 
loved to see them come into the woods, for they were company 
to a body ; hurting nothing ; being, as it was, as harmless as a 
garter-snake. But now it gives me sore thoughts when I hear 
the frighty things whizzing through the air, for I know it’s only 
a motion to bring out all the brats in the village. Well ! the 
Lord won’t see the waste of his creatures for nothing, and right 
will be done to the pigeons, as well as others, by and by. 
There’s Mr. Oliver, as bad as the rest of them, firing into the 
flocks, as if he was shooting down nothing but Mingo warriors.” 

Among the sportsmen was Billy Kirby, who, armed with an 
old musket, was loading, and without even looking into the air, 
was firing and shouting as his victims fell even on his own 
person. He heard the speech of Natty, and took upon himself 
to reply — 

“ What ! old Leather-stocking,” he cried, “ grumbling at the 
loss of a few pigeons ! If you had to sow your wheat twice, 
and three times, as I have done, you wouldn’t be so massyfullv 
feeling towards the divils. — Hurrah, boys ! scatter the feathers ! 
This is better than shooting at a turkey’s head and neck, old 
fellow.” 

“ It’s better for you, maybe, Billy Kirby,” replied the indig- 
nant old hunter, “ and all them that don’t know how to put a 
ball down a rifle barrel, or how to bring it up again with a true 
aim ; but it’s wicked to be shooting into flocks in this wasty 
manner ; and none do it, who know how to knock over a single 
bird. If a body has a craving for pigeon’s flesh, why, it’s 
made the same as all other creatures, for man’s eating ; but not 
to kill twenty and eat one. When I want such a thing I go 
into the woods till I find one to my liking, and then I shoot 
him off the branches, without touching the feather of another, 


THE .PIONEERS. 


271 


though there might be a hundred on the same tree. You 
couldn’t do such a thing, Billy Kirby — you couldn’t do it, if 
you tried.” 

“ What’s that, old corn-stalk ! you sapless stub !” cried the 
wood-chopper. “ You have grown wordy, since the affair of the 
turkey ; but if you are for a single shot, here goes at that bird 
which comes on by himself.” 

The fire from the distant part of the field had driven a single 
pigeon below the flock to which it belonged, and, frightened 
with the constant reports of the muskets, it was approaching the 
spot where the disputants stood, darting first from one side and 
then to the other, cutting the air with the swiftness of lightning, 
and making a noise with its wings, not unlike the rushing of a 
bullet. Unfortunately for the wood-chopper, notwithstanding 
his vaunt, he did not see this bird until it was too late to fire 
as it approached, and he pulled his trigger at the unlucky 
moment when it was darting immediately over his head. The 
bird continued its course with the usual velocity. 

Natty lowered the rifle from his arm when the challenge was 
made, and waiting a moment, until the terrified victim had got 
in a line with his eye, and had dropped near the bank of the 
lake, he raised it again with uncommon rapidity, and fired. It 
might have been chance, or it might have been skill, that pro- 
duced the result ; it was probably a union of both ; but the 
pigeon whirled over in the air, and fell into the lake, with a 
broken wing. At the sound of his rifle, both his dogs started 
from his feet, and in a few minutes the “ slut ” brought out the 
bird, still alive. 

The wonderful exploit of Leather-stocking was noised through 
the field with great rapidity, and the sportsmen gathered in, to 
learn the truth of the report. 

“ What !” said young Edwards, “ have you really killed a 
pigeon on the wing, Natty, with a single ball ?” 

“ Haven’t I killed loons before now, lad, that dive at the 
flash ?” returned the hunter. “ It’s much better to kill only 
such as you want, without wasting your powder and lead, than 


272 


THE PIONEERS. 


to be firing into God’s creatures in this wicked manner. But 1 
came out for a bird, and you know the reason why I like small 
game, Mr. Oliver, and now I have got one I will go home, for I 
don’t relish to see these wasty ways that you are all practysing, 
as if the least thing wasn’t made for use, and not to destroy.” 

“ Thou sayest well, Leather-stocking,” cried Marmaduke, 
“ and I begin to think it time to put an end to this work of 
destruction.” 

“ Put an ind, Judge, to your clearings. An’t the woods his 
work as well as the pigeons ? Use, but don’t waste. Wasn’t 
the woods made for the beasts and birds to harbor in ? and 
when man wanted their flesh, their skins, or their feathers, 
there’s the place to seek them. But I’ll go to the hut with my 
own game, for I wouldn’t touch one of the harmless things that 
cover the ground here, looking up with their eyes on me, as if 
they only wanted tongues to say their thoughts.” 

With this sentiment in his mouth, Leather-stocking threw 
his rifle over his arm, and followed by his dogs, stepped across 
the clearing with great caution, taking care not to tread on one 
of the wounded birds in his path. He soon entered the bushes 
on the margin of the lake, and was hid from view. 

Whatever impression the morality of Natty made on the 
Judge, it was utterly lost on Richard. He availed himself of 
the gathering of the sportsmen, to lay a plan for one “fell 
swoop ” of destruction. The musket men were drawn up in 
battle array, in a line extending on each side of his artillery, 
with orders to await the signal of firing from himself. 

“ Stand by, my lads,” said Benjamin, who acted as an aide- 
de-camp on this occasion, “stand by, my hearties, and when 
Squire Dickens heaves out the signal to begin firing, d’ye see, 
you may open upon them in a broadside. Take care and fire 
low, boys, and you’ll be sure to hull the flock.” 

“Fire low!” shouted Kirl$ T : — “hear the old fool! If we 
fire low, we may hit the stumps, but not ruffle a pigeon .” 

“ How should you know, you lubber ?” cried Benjamin, with 
a very unbecoming heat for an officer on the eve of battle— 


THE lMONEERS. 


273 


“how should you know, you grampus? Haven’t I sailed 
aboard of the Boadishy for five years ? and wasn’t it a standing 
order to fire low, and to hull your enemy ? Keep silence at 
your guns, boys, and mind the order that is passed.” 

The loud laughs of the musket men were silenced by the 
more authoritative voice of Richard, who called for attention 
and obedience to his signals. 

Some millions of pigeons were supposed to have already 
passed, that morning, over the valley of Templeton; but 
nothing like the flock that was now approaching had been seen 
before. It extended from mountain to mountain in one solid 
blue mass, and the eye looked in vain, over the southern hills, 
to find its termination. The front of this living column was 
distinctly marked by a line but very slightly indented, so regular 
and even was the flight. Even Marmaduke forgot the morality 
of Leather-stocking as it approached, and, in common with the 
rest, brought his musket to a poise. 

“ Fire !” cried the Sheriff, clapping a coal to the priming of 
the cannon. As half of Benjamin’s charge escaped through the 
touch-hole, the whole volley of the musketry preceded the report 
of the swivel. On receiving this united discharge of small-arms, 
the front of the flock darted upwards, while, at the same instant, 
myriads of those in the rear rushed with amazing rapidity into 
their places, so that when the column of white smoke gushed 
from the mouth of the little cannon, an accumulated mass of 
objects was gliding over its point of direction. The roar of the 
gun echoed along the mountains, and died away to the north, 
like distant thunder, while the whole flock of alarmed birds 
seemed, for a moment, thrown into one disorderly and agitated 
mass. The air was filled with their irregular flight, layer rising 
above layer, far above the tops of the highest pines, none daring 
to advance beyond the dangerous pass ; when, suddenly, some 
of the leaders of the feathered tribe shot across the valley, 
taking their flight directly over the village, and hundreds of 
thousands in their rear followed the example, deserting the 
eastern side of the plain to their persecutors and the slain. 

12 * 


274 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ Victory !” shouted Richard, “ victory ! we have driven the 
enemy from the field.” 

“ Not so, Dickon,” said Marmaduke : “ the field is covered 
with them ; and, like the Leather-stocking, I see nothing but 
eyes, in every direction, as the innocent sufferers turn their 
heads in terror. Full one half of those that have fallen are yet 
alive ; and I think it is time to end the sport, if sport it be.” 

“ Sport !” cried the Sheriff ; “ it is princely sport ! There 
are some thousands of the blue-coated boys on the ground, so 
that every old woman in the village may have a pot-pie for the 
asking” 

“ Well, we have happily frightened the birds from this side 
of the valley,” said Marmaduke, “and the carnage must of 
necessity end, for the present. Boys, I will give you sixpence 
a hundred for the pigeons’ heads only: so go to work, and 
bring them into the village.” 

This expedient produced the desired effect, for every urchin 
on the ground went industriously to work to wring the necks 
of the wounded birds. Judge Temple retired towards his 
dwelling with that kind of feeling that many a man has experi- 
enced before him, who discovers, after the excitement of the 
moment has passed, that he has purchased pleasure at the price 
of misery to others. Horses were loaded with the dead ; and, 
after this first burst of sporting, the shooting of pigeons became 
a business, with a few idlers, for the remainder of the season. 
Richard, however, boasted for many a year, of his shot with the 
“ cricket ;” and Benjamin gravely asserted, that he thought they 
killed nearly as many pigeons on that day, as there were French- 
men destroyed on the memorable occasion of Rodney’s victory. 


TIIE PIONEERS. 


275 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

Help, masters, help ; here’s a fish hangs in the net, like a poor man’s right in the 
law. 

Pericles of Tyre. 

The advance of the season now became as rapid as its first 
approach had been tedious and lingering. The days were 
uniformly mild, while the nights, though cool, were no longer 
chilled by frosts. The whip-poor-will was heard whistling his 
melancholy notes along the margin of the lake, and the ponds 
and meadows were sending forth the music of their thousand 
tenants. The leaf of the native poplar was seen quivering in 
the woods ; the sides of the mountains began to lose their hue 
of brown, as the lively green of the different members of the 
forest blended their shades with the permanent colors of the 
pine and hemlock ; and even the buds of the tardy oak were 
swelling with the promise of the coming summer. The gay and 
fluttering blue-bird, the social robin, and the industrious little 
wren, were all to be seen enlivening the fields with their pre- 
sence and their songs ; while the soaring fish-hawk was already 
hovering over the waters of the Otsego, watching, with native 
voracity, for the appearance of his prey. 

The tenants of the lake were far-famed for both their quanti- 
ties and their quality, and the ice had hardly disappeared, 
before numberless little boats were launched from the shores, 
and the lines of the fishermen were dropped into the inmost 
recesses of its deepest caverns, tempting the unwary animals 
with every variety of bait that the ingenuity or the art of man 
had invented. But the slow, though certain adventures with 
hook and line were ill suited to the profusion and impatience 
of the settlers. More destructive means were resorted to ; and, 


27G 


THE PIONEERS. 


as the season had now arrived when the bass-fisheries -were 
allowed by the provisions of the law that Judge Temple had 
procured, the Sheriff declared his intention, by availing himself 
of the first dark night, to enjoy the sport in person. 

“ And you shall be present, cousin Bess,” he added, when he 
announced this design, “ and Miss Grant, and Mr. Edwards ; 
and I will show you what I call fishing — not nibble, nibble, 
nibble, as ’duke does when he goes after the salmon-trout. 
There he will sit for hours, in a broiling sun, or, perhaps, over 
a hole in the ice, in the coldest days in winter, under the lee of 
a few bushes, and not a fish will he catch, after all this mortifi- 
cation of the flesh. No, no — give me a good seine that’s fifty or 
sixty fathoms in length, with a jolly parcel of boatmen to crack 
their jokes the while, with Benjamin to steer, and let us haul 
them in by thousands ; I call that fishing.” 

“ Ah ! Dickon,” cried Marmaduke, “ thou knowest but little 
of the pleasure there is in playing with the hook and line, or 
thou wouldst be more saving of the game. I have known 
thee to leave fragments enough behind thee, when thou hast 
headed a night-party on the lake, to feed a dozen famishing 
families.” 

“ I shall not dispute the matter, Judge Temple : this night 
will I go ; and I invite the company to attend, and then let 
them decide between us.” 

Richard was busy, during most of the afternoon, making his 
preparations for the important occasion. Just as the light of 
the setting sun had disappeared, and a new moon had begun 
to throw its shadows on the earth, the fishermen took their 
departure in a boat, for a point that was situated on the western 
shore of the lake, at the distance of rather more than half a 
mile from the village. The ground had become settled, and 
the walking was good and dry. Marmaduke, with his daughter, 
her friend, and young Edwards, continued on the high grassy 
banks at the outlet of the placid sheet of water, watching the 
dark object that was moving across the lake, until it entered the 
shade of the western hills, and was lost to the eye. The 


THE PIONEERS. 277 

distance round by land to the point of destination was a mile, 
and he observed — 

“ It is time for us to be moving : the moon will be down ere 
we reach the point, and then the miraculous hauls of Dickon 
will commence.” 

The evening was'warm, and, after the long and dreary win- 
ter from which they had just escaped, delightfully invigorating. 
Inspirited by the scene and their anticipated amusement, the 
youthful companions of the Judge followed his steps, as he led 
them along the shores of the Otsego, and through the skirts of 
the village. 

“ See I” said young Edwards, “ they are building their fire 
already; it glimmers for a moment, and dies again like the 
light of a fire-fly.” 

“Now it blazes,” cried Elizabeth : “you can perceive figures 
moving around the light. Oh ! I would bet my jewels against 
the gold beads of Remarkable, that my impatient cousin Dickon 
had an agency in raising that bright flame ; — and see ; it fades 
again, like most of his brilliant schemes.” 

“ Thou hast guessed the truth, Bess,” said her father ; “ he 
has thrown an armful of brush on the pile, which has burnt out 
as soon as lighted. But it has enabled them to find a better 
fuel, for their fire begins to blaze with a more steady flame. It 
is the true fisherman’s beacon now ; observe how beautifully it 
throws its little circle of light on the water !” 

The appearance of the fire urged the pedestrians on, for even 
the ladies had become eager to witness the miraculous draught. 
By the time they reached the bank, which rose above the low 
point where the fishermen had landed, the moon had sunk 
behind the tops of the western pines, and, as most of the stars 
were obscured by clouds, there was but little other light than 
that which proceeded from the fire. At the suggestion of Mar- 
in aduke, his companions paused to listen to the conversation of 
those below them, and examine the party for a moment before 
they descended to the shore. 

The whole group were seated around the fire, with the excep- 


278 


THE PIONEERS. 


tion of Richard and Benjamin ; the former of whom occupied 
the root of a decayed stump, that had been drawn to the spot 
as part of their fuel, and the latter was standing, with his arms 
a-kimbo, so near to the flame, that the smoke occasionally 
obscured his solemn visage, as it waved around the pile, in obe 
dience to the night airs that swept gently over the water. 

“ Why, look you, Squire,” said the major-domo, “ you may 
call a lake-fish that will weigh twenty or thirty pounds a serious 
matter ; but to a man who has hauled in a shovel-nosed shirk, 
d’ye see, it’s but a poor kind of fishing after all.” 

“ I don’t know, Benjamin,” returned the Sheriff : “ a haul of 
one thousand Otsego bass, without counting pike, pickerel, 
perch, bull-pouts, Salmon-trouts, and suckers, is no bad fishing, 
let me tell you. There may be sport in sticking a shark, but 
what is he good for after you have got him ? Now, any one of 
the fish that I have named is fit to set before a king.” 

“ Well, Squire,” returned Benjamin, “just listen to the philo- 
sophy of the thing. Would it stand to reason, that such fish 
should live and be catched in this here little pond of water, 
where it’s hardly deep enough to drown a man, as you’ll find 
in the wide ocean, where, as everybody knows, that is, every- 
body that has followed the seas, whales and grampuses are to 
be seen, that are as long as one of the pine trees on yonder 
mountain ?” 

“ Softly, softly, Benjamin,” said the Sheriff, as if he wished to 
save the credit of his favorite ; “ why some of the pines will 
measure two hundred feet, and even more.” 

“ Two hundred or two thousand, it’s all the same thing,” 
cried Benjamin, with an air which manifested that he was not 
easily to be bullied out of his opinion, on a subject like the pre- 
sent. “ Haven’t I been there, and haven’t I seen ? I have said 
that you fall in with whales as long as one of them there pines ; 
and what I have once said I’ll stand to !” 

During this dialogue, which was evidently but the close of a 
much longer discussion, the huge frame of Billy Kirby was seen 
extended on one side of the fire, where he was picking his teeth 


THE PIONEERS. 


279 


with splinters of the chips near him, and occasionally shaking 
his head with distrust of Benjamin’s assertions. 

“ I’ve a notion,” said the wood-chopper, “ that there’s water in 
this lake to swim the biggest whale that ever was invented ; and, 
as to the pipes, I think I ought to know so’thing consarning 
them ; I have chopped many a one that was sixty times the 
length of my helve, without counting the eye : and I believe, 
Benny, that if the old pine that stands in the hollow of the 
Vision Mountain, just over the village — you may see the tree 
itself by looking up, for the moon is on its top yet : — well, now 
I believe, if that same tree was planted out in the deepest part 
of the lake, there would be water enough for the biggest ship 
that ever was built to float over it, without touching its upper 
branches, I do.” 

“ Did’ee ever see a ship, Master Kirby ?” roared the steward 
— “ did’ee ever see a ship, man ? or any craft bigger than a 
lime-scow, or a wood-boat, on this here small bit of fresh 
water ?” 

“ Yes, I have,” said the wood-chopper, stoutly ; “ I can say 
that I have, and tell no lie.” 

“ Did’ee ever see a British ship, Master Kirby ? an English 
line-of-battle ship, boy ? Where away did’ee ever fall in with 
a regular built vessel, with starn-post and cut-water, garboard 
streak and plank-shear, gangways, and hatchways, and water- 
ways, quarter-deck and forecastle, ay, and flush-deck ? — tell me 
that, man, if you can ; where away did’ee ever fall in with a full 
rigged, regular built, decked vessel ?” 

The whole company were a good deal astounded with this 
overwhelming question, and even Richard afterwards remarked, 
that it “ was a thousand pities that Benjamin could not read, or 
he must have made a valuable officer to the British marine. It 
is no wonder that they overcame the French so easily on the 
water, when even the lowest sailor so well understood the dif- 
ferent parts of a vessel.” But Billy Kirby was a fearless wight, 
and had great jealousy of foreign dictation ; he had arisen on his 
feet, and turned his back to the fire, during the voluble delivery 


280 


THE PIONEERS. 


of this interrogatory ; and when the steward ended, contrary to 
all expectation, he gave the following spirited reply : — 

“ Where ! why on the North River, and maybe on Cham- 
plain. There’s sloops on the river, boy, that would give a hard 
time on’t to the stoutest vessel King George owns. They carry 
masts of ninety feet in the clear of good solid pine, for I’ve been 
at the chopping of many a one in Varmount state. I wish I 
was captain in one of them, and you was in that Board-dish that 
you talk so much about ; and we’d soon see what good Yankee 
stuff is made on, and whether a Varmounter’s hide an’t as thick 
as an Englishman’s.” 

The echoes from the opposite hills, which were more than 
half a mile from the fishing point, sent back the discordant 
laugh that Benjamin gave forth at this challenge ; and the 
woods that covered their sides seemed, by the noise that issued 
from their shades, to be full of mocking demons. 

“ Let us descend to the shore,” whispered Marmaduke, “ or 
there will soon be ill-blood between them. Benjamin is a fear- 
less boaster ; and Kirby, though good-natured, is a careless son 
of the forest, who thinks one American more than a match for 
six Englishmen. I marvel that Dickon is silent, where there is 
such a trial of skill in the superlative !” 

The appearance of Judge Temple and the ladies produced, if 
not a pacification, at least a cessation of hostilities. Obedient to 
the directions of Mr. Jones, the fishermen prepared to launch 
their boat, which had been seen in the background of the view, 
with the net carefully disposed on a little platform in its stern, 
ready for service. Richard gave vent to his reproaches at the 
tardiness of the pedestrians, when all the turbulent passions of 
the party were succeeded by a calm, as mild and as placid as 
that which prevailed over the beautiful sheet of water that they 
were about to rifle of its best treasures. 

The night had now become so dark as to render objects, 
without the reach of the light of the fire, not only indistinct, but 
in most cases invisible. For a little distance the water was dis- 
cernible, glistening, as the glare from the fire danced over its 


THE PIONEERS. 


281 


surface, touching it here and there with red quivering streaks * 
but at a hundred feet from the shore, there lay a boundary of 
impenetrable gloom. One or two stars were shining through 
the openings of the clouds, and the lights were seen in the 
village, glimmering faintly, as if at an immeasurable distance. 
At times as the fire lowered, or as the horizon cleared, the out- 
line of the mountain, on the other side of the lake, might be 
traced by its undulations ; but its shadow was cast, wide and 
dense, on the bosom of the water, rendering the darkness in 
that direction trebly deep. 

Benjamin Pump w r as invariably the cockswain and net-caster 
of Richard’s boat, unless the Sheriff saw fit to preside in person ; 
and, on the present occasion, Billy Kirby, and a youth of about 
half his strength, were assigned to the oars. The remainder of 
the assistants were stationed at the drag ropes. The arrange- 
ments were speedily made, and Richard gave the signal to 
“ shove off.” 

Elizabeth watched the motion of the batteau as it pulled 
from the shore, letting loose its rope as it went, but it soon dis- 
appeared in the darkness, when the ear was her only guide to 
its evolutions. There was great affectation of stillness during 
all these manoeuvres, in order, as Richard assured them, “ not to 
frighten the bass, who were running into the shoal waters, and 
who would approach the light if not disturbed by the sounds 
from the fishermen.” 

The hoarse voice of Benjamin was alone heard issuing out of 
the gloom, as he uttered, in authoritative tones, “ pull larboard 
oar,” “ pull starboard,” “ give way together, boys,” and such 
other dictative mandates as were necessary for the right dispo- 
sition of his seine. A long time was passed in this necessary 
part of the process, for Benjamin prided himself greatly on his 
skill in throwing the net, and, in fact, most of the success of the 
sport depended on its being done with judgment. At length a 
loud splash in the water, as he threw away the “ staff,” or 
“ stretcher,” with a hoarse call from the steward, of “ clear,” 
announced that the boat was returning ; when Richard seized a 


282 


THE PIONEERS. 


brand from the fire, and ran to a point, as far above the centre 
of the fishing ground, as the one from which the batteau had 
started was below it. 

“ Stick her in dead for the Squire, boys,” said the steward, 
w and we’ll have a look at what grows in this here pond.” 

In place of the falling net were now to be heard the quick 
strokes of the oars, and the noise of the rope running out of the 
boat. Presently the batteau shot into the circle of light, and in 
an instant she was pulled to shore. Several eager hands were 
extended to receive the line, and both ropes being equally well 
manned, the fishermen commenced hauling in with slow and 
steady drags, Richard standing in the centre, giving orders, first 
to one party, and then to the other, to increase or slacken their 
efforts, as occasion required. The visitors were posted near him, 
and enjoyed a fair view of the whole operation, which was 
slowly advancing to an end. 

Opinions as to the result of their adventure were now freely 
hazarded by all the men, some declaring that the net came in 
as light as a feather, and others affirming that it seemed to be 
full of logs. As the ropes werq many hundred feet in length, 
these opposing sentiments were thought to be of little moment 
by the Sheriff, who would go first to one line and then to the 
other, giving each a small pull, in order to enable him to form 
an opinion for himself. 

“ Why, Benjamin,” he cried, as he made his first effort in 
this way, “you did not throw the net clear. I can move it 
with my little finger. The rope slackens in my hand.” 

“ Did you ever see a whale, Squire ?” responded the steward : 
“ I say that if that there net is foul, the devil is in the lake in 
the shape of a fish, for I cast it as fair as ever rigging was rove 
over the quarter-deck of a flag-ship.” 

But Richard discovered his mistake, when he saw Billy Kirby 
before him, standing with his feet in the water, at an angle of 
forty-five degrees, inclining shorewards, and expending his gigantic 
strength in sustaining himself in that posture. He ceased his 
remonstrances, and proceeded to the party at the other line. 


THE PIONEERS. 


283 


“ I see the ‘ staffs,’ ” shouted Mr. Jones ; — “ gather in, boys, 
and away with it ; to shore with her ! — to shore with her !” 

At this cheerful sound, Elizabeth strained her eyes and saw 
the ends of the two sticks on the seine emerging from the dark- 
ness, while the men closed near to each other, and formed a 
deep bag of their net. The exertions of the fishermen sensibly 
increased, and the voice of Richard was heard encouraging them 
to make their greatest efforts at the present moment. 

“ Now’s the time, my lads,” he cried ; “ let us get the ends 
to land, and all we have will be our own — away with her !” 

“ Away with her, it is,” echoed Benjamin ! — “ hurrah ! ho-a- 
hoy, ho-a-hoy, ho-a !” 

“ In with her,” shouted Kirby, exerting himself in a manner 
that left nothing for those in his rear to do, but to gather up 
the slack of the rope which passed through his hands. 

“ Staff, ho !” shouted the steward. 

w Staff, ho !” echoed Kirby, from the other rope. 

The men rushed to the water’s edge, some seizing the upper 
rope, and some the lower, or lead-rope, and began to haul with 
great activity and zeal. A deep semicircular sweep of the little 
balls that supported the seine in its perpendicular position, was 
plainly visible to the spectators, and, as it rapidly lessened in 
size, the bag of the net appeared, while an occasional flutter 
on the water announced the uneasiness of the prisoners it 
contained. 

“ Haul in, my lads,” shouted Richard — “I can see the dogs 
kicking to get free. Haul in, and here’s a cast that will pay for 
the labor.” 

Fishes of various sorts were now to be seen, entangled in tho 
meshes of the net, as it was passed through the hands of the 
laborers ; and the water, at a little distance from the shore, was 
alive with the movements of the alarmed victims. Hundreds 
of white sides were glancing up to the surface of the water, 
and glistening in the fire-light, when, frightened at the uproar 
and the change, the fish would again dart to the bottom, in 
fruitless efforts for freedom. 


284 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ Hurrah ! ” shouted Richard ; “ one or two more heavy 
drags, boys, and we are safe.” 

“ Cheerily, boys, cheerily ! ” cried Benjamin ; “ I see a sal- 
mon-trout that is big enough for a chowder.” 

“ Away with you, you varmint ! ” said Billy Kirby, plucking 
a bull-pout from the meshes, and casting the animal back into 
the lake with contempt. “ Pull, boys, pull ; here’s all kinds, 
and the Lord condemn me for a liar, if there an’t a thousand 
bass ! ” 

Inflamed beyond the bounds of discretion at the sight, and 
forgetful of the season, the wood-chopper rushed to his middle 
into the water, and began to drive the reluctant animals before 
him from their native element. 

“ Pull heartily, boys,” cried Marmaduke, yielding to the 
excitement of the moment, and laying his hands to the net, 
with no trifling addition to the force. Edwards had preceded 
him ; for the sight of the immense piles of fish, that were slowly 
rolling over on the gravelly beach, had impelled him also to 
leave the ladies, and join the fishermen. 

Great care was observed in bringing the net to land, and, 
after much toil, the whole shoal of victims was safely deposited in 
a hollow of the bank, where they were left to flutter away their 
brief existence in the new and fatal element. 

Even Elizabeth and Louisa were greatly excited and highly 
gratified by seeing two thousand captives thus drawn from the 
bosom of the lake, and laid prisoners at their feet. But when 
the feelings of the moment were passing away, Marmaduke 
took in his hands a bass, that might have weighed two pounds, 
and after viewing it a moment, in melancholy musing, he turned 
to his daughter, and observed — 

“ This is a fearful expenditure of the choicest gifts of Providence. 
These fish, Bess, which thou seest lying in such piles before 
thee, and which by to-morrow evening will be rejected food on 
the meanest table in Templeton, are of a quality and flavor that, 
in other countries, would make them esteemed a luxury on the 
tables of princes or epicures. The world lias no better fish than 


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285 


tiie bass of Otsego : it unites the richness of the shad * to the 
firmness of the salmon.” 

“ But surely, dear sir,” cried Elizabeth, “ they must prove a 
great blessing to the country, and a powerful friend to the 
poor.” 

“ The poor are always prodigal, my child, where there is 
plenty, and seldom think of a provision against the morrow. 
But if there can be any excuse for destroying animals in this 
manner, it is in taking the bass. During the winter, you 
know, they are entirely protected from our assaults by the ice, 
for they refuse the hook ; and during the hot months they are 
not seen. It is supposed they retreat to the deep and cool 
waters of the lake, at that season ; and it is only in the spring 
and autumn, that, for a few days, they are to be found around 
the points where they are within the reach of a seine. But, 
like all the other treasures of the wilderness, they already begin 
to disappear before the wasteful extravagance of man.” 

“ Disappear, ’duke ! disappear ! ” exclaimed the Sheriff ; “ if 
you don’t call this appearing, I know not what you will. Here 
are a good thousand of the shiners, some hundreds of suckers, 
and a powerful quantity of other fry. But this is always the 
way with you, Marmaduke ; first it’s the trees, then it’s the 
deer, after that it’s the maple sugar, and so on to the end of 
the chapter. One day you talk of canals through a country 
where there’s a river or a lake every half-mile, just because the 
water won’t run the way you wish it to go ; and the next, you 
say something about mines of coal, though any man who has 
good eyes like myself — I say with good eyes — can. see more 
wood than would keep the city of London in fuel for fifty 
years ; wouldn’t it, Benjamin ? ” 

“ Why, for that, Squire,” said the steward, “ Lon’on is no 
small place. If it was stretched an end, all the same as a town 
on one side of a river, it would cover some such matter as this 
here lake. Tho’f I dar’st to say, that the wood in sight might 


* Of all the fish the writer has ever tasted, he thinks the one in question the best 


286 


THE PIONEER a. 


sarve them a good turn, seeing that the Lon’oners mainly burn 
coal” 

“Now we are on the subject of coal, Judge Temple,” inter- 
rupted the Sheriff, “I have a thing of much importance to 
communicate to you ; but I will defer it until to-morrow. I 
know that you intend riding into the eastern part of the Patent, 
and I will accompany you, and conduct you to a spot where 
some of your projects may be realized. We will say no more 
now, for there are listeners ; but a secret has this evening been 
revealed to me, ’duke, that is of more consequence to your 
welfare than all your estate united.” 

Marmaduke laughed at the important intelligence, to which 
in a variety of shapes he was accustomed, and the Sheriff with 
an air of great dignity, as if pitying his want of faith, proceeded 
in the business more immediately before them. As the labor 
of drawing the net had been very great, he directed one party 
of his men to commence throwing the fish into piles, preparatory 
to the usual division, while another, under the superintendence 
of Benjamin, prepared the seine for a second haul. 


THE PIONEERS. 


287 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


While from its margin, terrible to tell ! 

Three sailors with their gallant boatswain fell. Falconer. 

"While the fishermen were employed in making the prepa- 
rations for an equitable division of the spoil, Elizabeth and her 
friend strolled a short distance from the group, along the shore 
of the lake. After reaching a point, to which even the brightest 
of the occasional gleams of the fire did not extend, they turned, 
and paused a moment, in contemplation of the busy and lively 
party they had left, and of the obscurity, which, like the gloom 
of oblivion, seemed to envelope the rest of the creation. 

“This is in a subject for the pencil !” exclaimed Eliza- 
beth. “ Observe the countenance of that wood-chopper, while 
he exults in presenting a larger fish than common to my cousin 
Sheriff ; and see, Louisa, how handsome and considerate my 
dear father looks, by the light of that fire, where he stands 
viewing the havoc of the game. He seems melancholy, as if he 
actually thought that a day of retribution was to follow this 
hour of abundance and prodigality ! Would they not make a 
picture, Louisa?” 

“ You know that I am ignorant of all such accomplishments, 
Miss Temple.” 

“ Call me by my Christian name,” interrupted Elizabeth ; 
“ this is not a place, neither is this a scene, for forms.” 

“Well, then, if I may venture an opinion,” said Louisa, 
timidly, “ I should think it might indeed make a picture. The 
selfish earnestness of that Kirby over his fish would contrast 
finely with the — the — expression of Mr. Edwards’s face. I 
hardly know what to call it; but it is — a — is — you know 
what I would .say, dear Elizabeth.” 


288 


TIIE PIONEERS. 


11 You do me too much credit, Miss Grant,” said the heiress ; 
!l I am no diviner of thoughts, or interpreter of expressions.” 

There was certainly nothing harsh, or even cold, in the 
manner of the speaker, but still it repressed the conversation, 
and they continued to stroll still further from the party, retain- 
ing each other’s arm, but observing a profound silence. Eliza- 
beth, perhaps, conscious of the improper phraseology of her last 
speech, or perhaps excited by the new object that met her gaze, 
was the first to break the awkward cessation in the discourse, by 
exclaiming — 

“ Look, Louisa ! we are not alone ; there are fishermen light- 
ing a fire on the other side of the lake, immediately opposite 
to us ; it must be in front of the cabin of Leather-stocking !” 

Through the obscurity, which prevailed most immediately 
under the eastern mountain, a small and uncertain light was 
plainly to be seen, though, as it was occasionally lost to the eye, 
it seemed struggling for existence. They observed it to move, 
and sensibly to lower, as if carried down the descent of the 
bank to the shore. Here, in a very short time, its flame 
gradually expanded, and grew brighter, until it became of the size 
of a man’s head, when it continued to shine a steady ball of fire. 

Such an object, lighted as it were by magic, under the brow 
of the mountain, and in that retired and unfrequented place, 
gave double interest to the beauty and singularity of its appear- 
ance. It did not at all resemble the large and unsteady light 
of their own fire, being much more clear and bright, and retain- 
ing its size and shape with perfect uniformity. 

There are moments when the best regulated minds are more 
or less subjected to the injurious impressions which few have 
escaped in infancy ; and Elizabeth smiled at her own weakness, 
while she remembered the idle tales which were circulated 
through the village, at the expense of the Leather-stocking. 
The same ideas seized her companion, and at the same instant, 
for Louisa pressed nearer to her friend, as she said in a low 
voice, stealing a timid glance towards the bushes and trees 
that overhung the bank near them : 


THE PIONEERS. 


289 


“ Did you ever hear the singular ways of this Natty 
spoken of, Miss Temple ? They say that, in his youth, he was 
an Indian warrior ; or, what is the same thing, a white man 
leagued with the savages ; and it is thought he has been con- 
cerned in many of their inroads, in the old wars.” 

“The thing is not at all improbable,” returned Elizabeth; 
“ he is not alone in that particular.” 

“ No, surely ; but is it not strange that he is so cautious with 
his hut ? He never leaves it, without fastening it in a remarka- 
ble manner; and in several instances, when the children, or even 
the men of the village, have wished to seek a shelter there from 
the storms, he has been known to drive them from his door 
with rudeness and threats. That, surely, is singular in this 
country !” 

“ It is certainly not very hospitable ; but we must remember 
his aversion to the customs of civilized life. You heard my 
father say, a few days since, how kindly he was treated by him 
on his first visit to this place.” Elizabeth paused, and smiled, 
with an expression of peculiar archness, though the darkness hid 
its meaning from her companion, as she continued — “ Besides, 
he certainly admits the visits of Mr. Edwards, whom we both 
know to be far from a savage.” 

To this speech Louisa made no reply ; but continued gazing 
on the object which had elicited her remarks. In addition to 
the bright and circular flame, was now to be seen a fainter, 
though a vivid light, of an equal diameter to the other at the 
upper end ; but which, after extending downwards for many feet, 
gradually tapered to a point at its lower extremity. A dark 
space was plainly visible between the two ; and the new illumi- 
nation was placed beneath the other ; the whole forming an 
appearance not unlike an inverted note of admiration. It was 
soon evident that the latter was nothing but the reflection, 
from the water, of the former ; and that the object, whatever it 
might be, was advancing across, or rather over, the lake, for it 
seemed to be several feet above its surface, in a direct line with 
themselves. Its motion was amazingly rapid, the ladies having 

13 


290 


THE PIONEERS. 


hardly discovered that it was moving at all, before the waving 
light of a flame was discerned, losing its regular shape, while 
it increased in size, as it approached. 

“ It appears to be supernatural !” whispered Louisa, begin- 
ning to retrace her steps towards the party. 

“ It is beautiful !” exclaimed Elizabeth. 

A brilliant, though waving flame, was now plainly visible, 
gracefully gliding over the lake, and throwing its light on the 
water in such a manner as to tinge it slightly ; though in the 
air, so strong was the contrast, the darkness seemed to have the 
distinctness of material substances, as if the fire were imbedded 
in a setting of ebony. This appearance, however, gradually 
wore off ; and the rays from the torch struck out, and enlight- 
ened the atmosphere in front of it, leaving the background in a 
darkness that was more impenetrable than ever. 

“ Ho ! Natty, is that you ?” shouted the Sheriff. “ Paddle in, 
old boy, and I’ll give you a mess of fish that is fit to place before 
the Governor.” 

The light suddenly changed its direction, and a long and 
slightly-built boat hove up out of the gloom, while the red glare 
fell on the weather-beaten features of the Leather-stocking, 
whose tall person was seen erect in the frail vessel, wielding, 
with the grace of an experienced boatman, a long fishing-spear, 
which he held by its centre, first dropping one end and then the 
other into the water, to aid in propelling the little canoe of 
bark, we will not say through, but over, the water. At the fur- 
ther end of the vessel a form was faintly seen, guiding its 
motions, and using a paddle with the ease of one who felt there 
was no necessity for exertion. The Leather-stocking struck his 
spear lightly against the short staff which upheld, on a rude 
grating framed of old hoops of iron, the knots of pine that com- 
posed the fuel, and the light, which glared high, for an instant 
fell on the swarthy features, and dark, glancing eyes of Mohe- 
gan. 

The boat glided along the shore until it arrived opposite the 
fishing-ground, when it again changed its direction, and moved 


THE PIONEERS. 


291 


on to the land, with a motion so graceful, and yet so rapid, that 
it seemed to posses the power of regulating its own progress. 
The water in front of the canoe was hardly ruffled by its 
passage, and no sound betrayed the collision, when the light 
fabric shot on the gravelly beach for nearly half its length, 
Natty receding a step or two from its bow, in order to facilitate 
the landing. 

“ Approach, Mohegan,” said Marmaduke ; “ approach, Lea- 
ther-stocking, and load your canoe with bass. It would be a 
shame to assail the animals with the spear, when such multi- 
tudes of victims lie here, that will be lost as food for the want 
of mouths to consume them.” 

“No, no, Judge,” returned Natty, his tall figure stalking over 
the narrow beach, and ascending to the little grassy bottom 
where the fish were laid in piles : “ I eat of no man’s wasty 
ways. I strike my spear into the eels or the trout, when I crave 
the creaters ; but I wouldn’t be helping to such a sinful kind of 
fishing for the best rifle that was ever brought out from the old 
countries. If they had fur, like a beaver, or you could tan their 
hides, like a buck, something might be said in favor of taking 
them by the thousands with your nets ; but as God made them 
for man’s food, and for no other disarnable reason, I call it sinful 
and wasty to catch more than can be eat.” 

“ Your reasoning is mine : for once, old hunter, we agree in 
opinion ; and I heartily wish we could make a convert of the 
Sheriff. A net of half the size of this would supply the whole 
village with fish for a week at one haul.” 

The Leather-stocking did not relish this alliance in senti- 
ment ; and he shook his head doubtingly, as he answered — 

“ No, no ; we are not much of one mind, Judge, or you’d 
never turn good hunting grounds into stumpy pastures. And 
you fish and hunt out of rule ; but, to me, the flesh is sweeter 
where the creater has some chance for its life : for that reason, 
I always use a single ball, even if it be at a bird or a squirrel. 
Besides, it saves lead ; for, when a body knows how to shoot, 
one piece of lead is enough for all, except hard-lived animals.” 


292 


THE PIONEERS. 


The Sheriff heard these opinions with great indignation ; and 
when he completed the last arrangement for the division, by 
carrying, with his own hands, a trout of a large size, and placing 
it on four different piles in succession, as h-is vacillating ideas of 
justice required, he gave vent to his spleen. 

“A very pretty confederacy, indeed! Judge Temple, the 
landlord and owner of a township, with Nathaniel Bumppo, a 
lawless squatter, and professed deer-killer, in order to preserve 
the game of the county ! But, ’duke, when I fish I fish ; so, 
away, boys, for another haul, and we’ll send out wagons and 
carts in the morning, to bring in our prizes.” 

Marmaduke appeared to understand that all opposition to the 
will of the Sheriff would be useless ; and he strolled from the 
fire to the place where the canoe of the hunters lay, whither the 
ladies and Oliver Edwards had alread} 7 preceded him. 

Curiosity induced the females to approach this spot ; but it 
was a different motive that led the youth thither. Elizabeth 
examined the light ashen timbers and thin bark covering of the 
canoe, in admiration of its neat but simple execution, and with 
wonder that any human being could be so daring as to trust his 
life in so frail a vessel. But the youth explained to her the 
buoyant properties of the boat, and its perfect safety when 
under proper management ; adding, in such glowing terms, a 
description of the manner in which the fish were struck with the 
spear, that she changed suddenly, from an apprehension of the 
danger of the excursion, to a desire to participate in its pleasures. 
She even ventured a proposition to that effect to her father, 
laughing at the same time at her own wish, and accusing herself 
of acting under a woman’s caprice. 

“ Say not so, Bess,” returned the Judge : “ I would have you 
above the idle fears of a silly girl. These canoes are the safest 
kind of boats to those who have skill and steady nerves. I have 
crossed the broadest part of the Oneida in one much smaller than 
this.” 

“ And I the Ontary,” interrupted the Leather-stocking ; “and 
that with squaws in the canoe, too. But the Delaware women 


THE PIONEERS. 


293 


are used to the paddle, and are good hands in a boat of this 
nater. If the young lady would like to see an old man strike a 
trout for his breakfast, she is welcome to a seat. John will say 
the same, seeing that he built the canoe, which was only launched 
yesterday ; for I’m not over curous at such small work as brooms, 
and basket making, and other like Indian trades.” 

Natty gave Elizabeth one of his significant laughs, with a 
kind nod of the head, when he concluded his invitation : but 
Mohegan, with the native grace of an Indian, approached, and 
taking her soft white hand into his own swarthy and wrinkled 
palm, said — 

“ Come, grand-daughter of Miquon, and John will be glad. 
Trust the Indian ; his head is old, though his hand is not 
steady. The young Eagle will go, and see that no harm hurts 
his sister.” 

“ Mr. Edwards,” said Elizabeth, blushing slightly, “ your friend 
Mohegan has given a promise for you. Do you redeem the 
pledge ?” 

“ With my life, if necessary, Miss Temple,” cried the youth, 
with fervor. “ The sight is worth some little apprehension ; for 
of real danger there is none. I will go with you and Miss Grant, 
however, to save appearances.” 

“ With me !” exclaimed Louisa. “ No, not with me, Mr. 
Edwards ; nor, surely, do you mean to trust yourself in that 
slight canoe.” 

“ But I shall ; for I have no apprehensions any longer,” said 
Elizabeth, stepping into the boat, and taking a seat where the 
Indian directed. “Mr. Edwards, you may remain, as three do 
seem to be enough for such an egg-shell.” 

“ It shall hold a fourth,” cried the young man, springing to 
her side, with a violence that nearly shook the weak fabric of 
the vessel asunder. “ Pardon me, Miss Temple, that I do not 
permit these venerable Charons to take you to the shades unat- 
tended by your genius.” 

“ Is it a good or evil spirit ?” asked Elizabeth. 

“ Good to you.” 


294 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ And mine,” added the maiden, with an air that strangely 
blended pique with satisfaction. But the motion of 'the canoe 
gave rise to new ideas, and fortunately afforded a good excuse 
to the young man to change the discourse. 

It appeared to Elizabeth that they glided over the water by 
magic, so easy and graceful was the manner in which Mohegan 
guided his little bark. A slight gesture with his spear indicated 
the way in which the Leather-stocking wished to go, and a pro- 
found silence was preserved by the whole party, as a precaution 
necessary to the success of their fishery. At that point of the 
lake, the water shoaled regularly, differing in this particular, 
altogether, from those parts where the mountains rose, nearly in 
perpendicular precipices, from the beach. There, the largest 
vessels could have lain, with their yards interlocked with the 
pines ; while here a scanty growth of rushes lifted their tops 
above the lake, gently curling the waters, as their bending heads 
waved with the passing breath of the night air. It was at the 
shallow points, only, that the bass could be found, or the net 
cast with success. 

Elizabeth -saw thousands of these fish swimming in shoals 
along the shallow and warm waters of the shore ; for the flaring 
light of their torch laid bare the mysteries of the lake, as plainly 
as if the limpid sheet of the Otsego was but another atmo- 
sphere. Every instant she expected to see the impending spear 
of Leather-stocking darting into the thronging hosts that were 
rushing beneath her, where it would seem that a blow could not 
go amiss ; and where, as her father had already said, the prize 
that would be obtained was worthy any epicure. But Natty 
had his peculiar habits, and, it would seem, his peculiar tastes 
also. His tall stature, and his erect posture, enabled him to see 
much further than those who were seated in the bottom of the 
canoe ; and he turned his head warily in every direction, fre- 
quently bending his body forward, and straining his vision, as 
if desirous of penetrating the water that surrounded their boun- 
dary of light. At length his anxious scrutiny was rewarded 


THE PIONEERS. 


295 


with success, and, waving his spear from the shore, he said in a 
cautious tone — 

“ Send her outside the bass, John ; I see a laker there, that 
has run out of the school. It’s seldom one finds such a creater 
in shallow water, where a spear can touch it.” 

Mohegan gave a wave of assent with his hand, and in the 
next instant the canoe was without the “ run of the bass,” and 
in water nearly twenty feet in depth. A few additional knots 
were laid on the grating, and the light penetrated to the 
bottom. Elizabeth then saw a fish of unusual size floating 
above small pieces of logs and sticks. The animal was only 
distinguishable, at that distance, by a slight, but almost im- 
perceptible motion of its fins and tail. The curiosity excited by 
this unusual exposure of the secrets of the lake seemed to be 
mutual between the heiress of the land and the lord of these 
waters, for the “salmon-trout” soon announced his interest by 
raising his head and body for a few degrees above a horizontal 
line, and then dropping them again into a horizontal position. 

“ Whist ! whist 1” said Natty, in a low voice, on hearing a 
slight sound made by Elizabeth in bending over the side of the 
canoe in curiosity ; — “ ’tis a skeary animal, and it’s a far stroke 
for a spear. My handle is but fourteen foot, and the creater 
lies a good eighteen from the top of the water ; but I’ll try him, 
for he’s a ten-pounder.” 

While speaking, the Leather-stocking was poising and direct- 
ing his weapon. Elizabeth saw the bright, polished tines, as 
they slowly and silently entered the water, where the refraction 
pointed them many degrees from the true direction of the fish ; 
and she thought that the intended victim saw them also, as he 
seemed to increase the play of his tail and fins, though without 
moving his station. At the next instant the tall body of Natty 
bent to the water’s edge, and the handle of his spear disap- 
peared in the lake. The long, dark streak of the gliding 
weapon, and the little bubbling vortex which followed its rapid 
flight, were easily to be seen ; but it was not until the handle 
shot again into the air by its own reaction, and its master 


296 


THE PIONEERS. 


catching it in his hand, threw its tines uppermost, that Eliza- 
beth was acquainted with the success of the blow. A fish of 
great size was transfixed by the barbed steel, and was very 
soon shaken from its impaled situation into the bottom of the 
canoe. 

“ That will do, John,” said Natty, raising his prize by one of 
his fingers, and exhibiting it before the torch ; “ I shall not 
strike another blow to-night.” 

The Indian again waved his hand, and replied with the simple 
and energetic monosyllable of — 

“ Good.” 

Elizabeth was awakened from the trance created by this 
scene, and by gazing in that unusual manner at the bottom of 
the lake, by the hoarse sounds of Benjamin’s voice, and the 
dashing of oars, as the heavier boat of the seine-drawers 
approached the spot where the canoe lay, dragging after it the 
folds of the net. 

“ Haul off, haul off, Master Bumppo,” cried Benjamin ; “ your 
top-light frightens the fish, who see the net and sheer off 
soundings. A fish knows as much as a horse, or, for that 
matter, more, seeing that it’s brought up on the water. Haul 
off, Master Bumppo, haul off, I say, and give a wide berth to 
the seine.” 

Mohegan guided their little canoe to a point where the move- 
ments of the fishermen could be observed, without interruption 
to the business, and then suffered it to lie quietly on the water, 
looking like an imaginary vessel floating in air. There appeared 
to be much ill-humor among the party in the batteau, for the 
directions of Benjamin were not only frequent, but issued in a 
voice that partook largely of dissatisfaction. 

“ Pull larboard oar, will ye, Master Kirby ?” cried the old 
seaman ; “ Pull larboard best. It would puzzle the oldest 
admiral in the British fleet to cast this here net fair, with a 
wake like a cork-screw. Pull starboard, boy, pull starboard oar, 
with a will.” 

“Harkee, Mister Pump,” said Kirby, ceasing to row, and 


THE PIONEERS. 


297 


speaking with some spirit ; “ I’m a man that likes civil lam 
guage and decent treatment, such as is right ’twixt man and 
man. If you want us to go hoy, say so, and hoy I’ll go, for 
the benefit of the company ; but I’m not used to being ordered 
about like dumb cattle.” 

“ Who’s dumb cattle f” echoed Benjamin fiercely, turning 
his forbidding face to the glare of light from the canoe, and 
exhibiting every feature teeming with the expression of disgust. 
“ If you want to come aft and cun the boat round, come and 
be damned, and pretty steerage you’ll make of it. There’s but 
another heave of the net in the stern-sheets, and we’re clear of 
the thing. Give way, will ye ? and shoot her ahead for a 
fathom or two, and if you catch me afloat again with such a 
horse-marine as yourself, why rate me a ship’s jackass, that’s all.” 

Probably encouraged by the prospect of a speedy termina- 
tion to his labor, the wood-chopper resumed his oar, and, 
under strong excitement, gave a stroke, that not only cleared 
the boat of the net, but of the steward, at the same instant. 
Benjamin had stood on the little platform that held the seine, 
in the stern of the boat, and the violent whirl occasioned by the 
vigor of the wood-chopper’s arm completely destroyed his 
balance. The position of the lights rendered objects in the 
batteau distinguishable, both from the canoe and the shore; 
and the heavy fall on the water drew all eyes to the steward, 
as he lay struggling, for a moment, in sight. 

A loud burst of merriment, to which the lungs of Kirby con- 
tributed no small part, broke out like a chorus of laughter, and 
rang along the eastern mountain, in echoes, until it died away 
in distant, mocking mirth, among the rocks and woods. The 
body of the steward was seen slowly to disappear, as was ex- 
pected ; but when the light waves, which had been raised by 
his fall, began to sink in calmness, and the water finally closed 
over his head, unbroken and still, a very different feeling per- 
vaded the spectators. 

“How fare you, Benjamin?” shouted Richard from the 
shore. 


13 * 


298 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ The dumb devil can’t swim a stroke !” exclaimed Kirby, 
rising, and beginning to throw aside his clothes. 

“Paddle up, Mohegan,” cried young Edwards, “the light 
will show us where he lies, and I will dive for the body.” 

“ Oh ! save him ! for God’s sake, save him !” exclaimed Eliza- 
beth, bowing her head on the side of the canoe in horror. 

A powerful and dexterous sweep of Mohegan’s paddle sent 
the canoe directly over the spot where the steward had fallen, 
and a loud shout from the Leather-stocking announced that he 
saw the body. 

“ Steady the boat while I dive,” again cried Edwards. 

“ Gently, lad, gently,” said Natty ; “ I’ll spear the creater up 
in half the time, and no risk to anybody.” 

The form of Benjamin was lying, about half way to the 
bottom, grasping with both hands some broken rushes. The 
blood of Elizabeth curdled to her heart, as she saw the figure 
of a fellow-creature thus extended under an immense sheet of 
water, apparently in motion, by the undulations of the dying 
waves, with its face and hands, viewed by that light, and through 
the medium of the fluid, already colored with hues like death. 

At the same instant, she saw the shining tines of Natty’s 
spear approaching the head of the sufferer, and entwining them- 
selves, rapidly and dexterously, in the hairs of his queue and 
the cape of his coat. The body was now raised slowly, looking 
ghastly and grim, as its features turned upwards to the light, 
and approached the surface. The arrival of the nostrils of Ben- 
jamin into their own atmosphere was announced by a breathing 
that would have done credit to a porpoise. For a moment, 
Natty held the steward suspended, with his head just above the 
water, while his eyes slowly opened, and stared about him, as 
if he thought that he had reached a new and unexplored 
country. 

As all the parties acted and spoke together, much less time 
was consumed in the occurrence of these events, than in their 
narration. To bring the batteau to the end of the spear, and 
to raise the form of Benjamin into the boat, and for the whole 


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299 


party to gain the shore, required but a minute. Kirby, aided 
by Richard, whose anxiety induced him to run into the water 
to meet his favorite assistant, carried the motionless steward 
up the bank, and seated him before the fire, while the Sheriff 
proceeded to order the most approved measures then in use, for 
the resuscitation of the drowned. 

“ Run, Billy,” he cried, “ to the village, and bring up the 
rum-hogshead that lies before the door, in which I am making 
vinegar, and be quick, boy, don’t stay to empty the vinegar ; 
and stop at Mr. Le Quoi’s, and buy a paper of tobacco and half- 
a-dozen pipes ; and ask Remarkable for some salt, and one of 
her flannel petticoats ; and ask Dr. Todd to send his lancet, and 

to come himself ; and ha ! ’duke, what are you about ? 

would you strangle a man who is full of water, by giving him 
rum ! Help me to open his hand, that I may pat it.” 

All this time Benjamin sat, with his muscles fixed, his mouth 
shut, and his hands clenching the rushes, which he had seized 
in the confusion of the moment, and which, as he held fast, like 
a true seaman, had been the means of preventing his body from 
rising again to the surface. His eyes, however, were open, and 
stared wildly on the group about the fire, while his lungs were 
playing like a blacksmith’s bellows, as if to compensate them- 
selves for the minute of inaction to which they had been sub- 
jected. As he kept his lips compressed, with a most inveterate 
determination, the air was compelled to pass through his 
nostrils, and he rather snorted than breathed, and in such a 
manner, that nothing but the excessive agitation of the Sheriff 
could at all justify his precipitous orders. 

The bottle, applied to the steward’s lips by Marmaduke, 
acted like a charm. His mouth opened instinctively ; his 
hands dropped the rushes, and seized the glass ; his eyes raised 
from their horizontal stare to the heavens ; and the whole man 
was lost, for a moment, in a new sensation. Unhappily for the 
propensity of the steward, breath was as necessary after one of 
these draughts as after his submersion, and the time at length 
arrived when he was compelled to let go the bottle. 


300 


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“ Why, Benjamin!” roared the Sheriff; “you amaze me! 
for a man of your experience in drownings to act so foolishly ! 
just now, you were half full of water, and now you are 

“ Full of grog,” interrupted the steward, his features settling 
down, with amazing flexibility, into their natural economy. 
“ But, d’ye see, Squire, I kept my hatches close, and it is but 
little water that ever gets into my scuttle-butt. Harkee, Master 
Kirby ! I’ve followed the salt water for the better part of a 
man’s life, and have seen some navigation on the fresh ; but this 
here matter I will say in your favor, and that is, that you’re 
the awk’ardest green’un that ever straddled a boat’s thwart. 
Them that likes you for a shipmate, may sail with you and no 
thanks ; but dam’me if I even walk on the lake shore in your 
company. For why? you’d as lief drown a man as one of 
them there fish ; not to throw a Christian creature so much as 
a rope’s end, when he was adrift, and no life-buoy in sight ! — 
Natty Bumppo, give us your fist. There’s them that says 
you’re an Indian, and a scalper, but you’ve served me a good 
turn, and you may set me down for a friend ; tho’f it would 
have been more ship-shape to lower the bight of a rope, or 
running bow-line, below me, than to seize an old seaman by 
his head-lanyard ; but I suppose you are used to taking men 
by the hair, and seeing you did me good instead of harm 
thereby, why, it’s the same thing, d’ye see.” 

Marmaduke prevented any reply, and assuming the direction 
of matters with a dignity and discretion that at once silenced 
all opposition from his cousin, Benjamin was despatched to 
the village by land, and the net was hauled to shore in such 
a manner, that the fish for once escaped its meshes with 
impunity. 

The division of the spoils was made in the ordinary manner, 
by placing one of the party with his back to the game, who 
named the owner of each pile. Billy Kirby stretched his large 
frame on the grass by the side of the fire, as sentinel until 
morning, over net and fish ; and the remainder of the party 
embarked in the batteau, to return to the village. 


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301 


The wood chopper was seen broiling his supper on the coals 
as they lost sight of the fire ; and when the boat approached 
the shore, the torch of Mohegan’s canoe was shining again 
under the gloom- of the eastern mountain. Its motion ceased 
suddenly ; a scattering of brands was in the air, and then all 
remained dark as the conjunction of night, forest, and mountain 
could render the scene. 

The thoughts of Elizabeth wandered from the youth, who 
was holding a canopy of shawls oyer herself and Louisa, to the 
hunter and the Indian warrior; and she felt an awakening 
curiosity to visit a hut, where men of such different habits 
and temperament were drawn together as by common impulse. 


302 


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CHAPTER XXV. 


Cease all this parlance about hills and dales ; 

None listen to thy scenes of boyish frolic. 

Fond dotard ! with such tickled ears as thou dost ; 

Come ! to thy tale. Duo. 

Mr. Jones arose on the following morning with the sun, and 
ordering his own and Marmaduke’s steeds to be saddled, he 
proceeded, with a countenance big with some business of unu 
sual moment, to the apartment of the Judge. The door was 
unfastened, and Richard entered, with the freedom that charac- 
terized not only the intercourse between the cousins, but the 
ordinary manners of the Sheriff. 

“ Well, ’duke, to horse,” he cried, “ and I will explain to you 
my meaning in the allusions I made last night. David says, in 
the Psalms — no, it was Solomon, but it was all in the family — 
Solomon said there was a time for all things ; and in my hum- 
ble opinion, a fishing party is not the moment for discussing 
important subjects. Ha ! why, what the devil ails you, Mar- 
maduke ? an’t you well ? let me feel your pulse : my grand- 
father, you know' 

“ Quite well in the body, Richard,” interrupted the Judge, 
repulsing his cousin, who was about to assume the functions 
that properly belonged to Dr. Todd ; “ but ill at heart. I 
received letters by the post of last night, after we returned from 
the point, and this among the number.” 

The Sheriff took the letter, but without turning his eyes on 
the writing, for he was examining the appearance of the other 
with astonishment. From the face of his cousin the gaze of 
Richard wandered to the table, which was covered with letters, 
packets, and newspapers ; then to the apartment and all that it 


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303 


contained. On the bed there was the impression that had been 
made by a human form, but the coverings were unmoved, and 
everything indicated that the occupant of the room had passed 
a sleepless night. The candles had burned to the sockets, and 
had evidently extinguished themselves in their own fragments. 
Marmaduke had drawn his curtains, and opened both the shut- 
ters and the sashes, to admit the balmy air of a spring morning ; 
but his pale cheek, his quivering lip, and his sunken eye, 
presented altogether so very different an appearance from the 
usual calm, manly, and cheerful aspect of the Judge, that the 
Sheriff grew each moment more and more bewildered with 
astonishment. At length Richard found time to cast his eyes 
on the direction of the letter, which he still held unopened, 
crumbling it in his hand. 

“ What ! a ship-letter ! ” he exclaimed : “ and from England ! 
ha ! ’duke, there must be news of importance indeed ! ” 

“ Read it,” said Marmaduke, pacing the floor in excessive 
agitation. 

Richard, who commonly thought aloud, was unable to read a 
letter without suffering part of its contents to escape him in 
audible sounds. So much of the epistle as was divulged in 
that manner, we shall lay before the reader, accompanied by the 
passing remarks of the Sheriff : — 

“ ‘London, February 12th, 1793.’ What a devil of a pas- 
sage she had ! but the wind has been north-west for six weeks, 
until within the last fortnight. 

“‘Sir, your favors of August 10th, September 23d, and of 
December 1st, were received in due season, and the first 
answered by return of packet. Since the receipt of the last, I’ ” 
— Here a long passage was rendered indistinct, by a kind of 
humming noise made by the Sheriff. “ ‘ I grieve to say, that’ 
— hum, hum, bad enough to be sure — ‘ but trust that a merciful 
Providence has seen fit ’ — hum, hum, hum ; seems to be a good 
pious sort of a man, ’duke ; belongs to the established church, 
I dare say; hum, hum — ‘vessel sailed from Falmouth on or 
about the 1st September of last year, and ’ — hum, hum, hum. 


304 


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‘ If anything should transpire on this afflicting subject shall not 
fail ’ — hum, hum ; really a good-hearted man, for a lawyer, — 
4 but can communicate nothing further at present ’ — hum, hum. 
4 The national convention ’ — hum, hum — 4 unfortunate Louis ’ — 
hum, hum — 4 example of your Washington ’ — a very sensible 
man, I declare, and none of your crazy democrats. Hum, hum 
— 4 our gallant navy ’ — hum, hum — 4 under our most excellent 
monarch ’ — ay, a good man enough, that King George, but bad 
advisers ; hum, hum — 4 I beg to conclude with assurances of 
my perfect respect ’ — hum, hum — 4 Andrew Holt.’ — Andrew 
Holt — a very sensible, feeling man, this Mr. Andrew Holt — but 
the writer of evil tidings. What will you do next, cousin 
Marmaduke ? ” 

44 What can I do, Richard, but trust to time, and the will of 
Heaven ? Here is another letter from Connecticut, but it only 
repeats the substance of the last. There is but one consoling 
reflection to be gathered from the English news, which is, that 
my last letter was received by him before the ship sailed.” 

44 This is bad enough, indeed ! ’duke, bad enough, indeed ! 
and away go all my plans of putting wings to the house, to the 
devil. I had made arrangements for a ride to introduce you to 
something of a very important nature. You know how much 
you think of mines ” 

44 Talk not of mines,” interrupted the Judge ; 44 there is a 
sacred duty to be performed, and that without delay. I must 
devote this day to writing ; and thou must be my assistant, 
Richard ; it will not do to employ Oliver in a matter of such 
secresy and interest.” 

44 No, no, ’duke,” cried the Sheriff, squeezing his hand ; 44 1 
am your man, just now : we -are sisters’ children, and blood, 
after all, is the best cement to make friendship stick together. 
Well, well, there is no hurry about the silver mine, just now ; 
another time will do as well. We shall want Dirky Van, I 
suppose ? ” 

Marmaduke assented to this indirect question, and the Sheriff 
relinquished all his intentions on the subject of the ride, and 


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305 


repairing to the breakfast parlor, he despatched a messenger to 
require the immediate presence of Dirck Van der School. 

The village of Templeton at that time supported but two 
lawyers, one of whom was introduced to our readers in the bar- 
room of the “ Bold Dragoon,” and the other was the gentleman 
of whom Richard spoke by the friendly yet familiar appellation 
of Dirck, or Dirky Van. Great good-nature, a very tolerable 
share of skill in his profession, and considering the circumstan- 
ces, no contemptible degree of honesty, were the principal 
ingredients in the character of this man, who was known to the 
settlers as Squire Van der School, and sometimes by the flatter- 
ing, though anomalous title of the “Dutch” or “honest lawyer.” 
We would not wish to mislead our readers in their conceptions 
of any of our characters, and we therefore feel it necessary to 
add, that the adjective, in the preceding agnomen of Mr. Van 
der School, was used in direct reference to its substantive. Our 
orthodox friends need not be told, that all merit in this world 
is comparative ; and once for all, we desire to say, that where 
anything which involves qualities or character is asserted, we 
must be understood to mean, “ under the circumstances.” 

During the remainder of the day, the Judge was closeted 
with his cousin and his lawyer ; and no one else was admitted 
to his apartment, excepting his daughter. The deep distress, 
that so evidently affected Marmaduke, was in some measure 
communicated to Elizabeth also : for a look of dejection shaded 
her intelligent features, and the buoyancy of her animated 
spirits was sensibly softened. Once on that day, young Edwards, 
who was a w T ondering and observant spectator of the sudden 
alteration produced in the heads of the family, detected a tear 
stealing over the cheek of Elizabeth, and suffusing her bright 
eyes with a softness that did not always belong to their 
expression. 

“ Have any evil tidings been received, Miss Temple ?” he 
inquired, with an interest and voice that caused Louisa Grant 
to raise her head from her needlework, with a quickness at 
which she instantly blushed herself. “ I would offer my ser- 


306 


THE PIONEERS. 


vices to your father, if, as I suspect, he needs an agent in some 
distant place, and I thought it would give you relief.” 

“ We have certainly heard bad news,” returned Elizabeth, 
“ and it may be necessary that my father should leave home 
for a short period ; unless I can persuade him to trust my cousin 
Richard with the business, whose absence from the country, just 
at this time, too, might be inexpedient.” 

The youth paused a moment, and the blood gathered slowly 
to his temples, as he continued — 

“ If it be of a nature that I could execute ” 

“ It is such as can only be confided to one we know — one of 
ourselves.” 

“ Surely, you know me, Miss Temple !” he added, with a 
warmth that he seldom exhibited, but which did sometimes 
escape him, in the moments of their frank communications. 
“ Have I lived five months under your roof to be a stranger ?” 

Elizabeth was engaged with her needle also, and she bent 
her head to one side, affecting to arrange her muslin ; but her 
hand shook, her color heightened, and her eyes lost their 
moisture in an expression of ungovernable interest, as she 
said — 

“ How much do we know of you, Mr. Edwards ?” • 

“ How much !” echoed the youth, gazing from the speaker to 
the mild countenance of Louisa, that was also illuminated with 
curiosity ; “ how much ! have I been so long an inmate with 
you and not known ?” 

The head of Elizabeth turned slowly from its affected position, 
and the look of confusion that had blended so strongly with an 
expression of interest changed to a smile. 

“We know you, sir, indeed: you are called Mr. Oliver 
Edwards. I understand that you have informed my friend, 
Miss Grant, that you are a native ” 

“ Elizabeth !” exclaimed Louisa, blushing to the eyes, and 
trembling like an aspen ; “ you misunderstood me, dear Miss 
Temple; I — I — it was only conjecture. Besides, if Mr. 
Edwards is related to the natives, why should we reproach 


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307 


him ? In what are we better ? at least I, who am the child of 
a poor and unsettled clergyman ?” 

Elizabeth shook her head doubtingly, and even laughed, but 
made no reply ; until, observing the melancholy which pervaded 
the countenance of her companion, who was thinking of the 
poverty and labors of her father, she continued — 

“ Nay, Louisa, humility carries you too far. The daughter 
of a minister of the church oan have no superiors. Neither I 
nor Mr. Edwards is quite your equal, unless,” she added, again 
smiling, “ he is in secret a king.” 

“ A faithful servant of the King of kings, Miss Temple, is 
inferior to none on earth,” said Louisa ; “ but his honors are 
his own ; I am only the child of a poor and friendless man, and 
can claim no other distinction. Why, then, should I feel 
myself elevated above Mr. Edwards, because — because — per- 
haps he is only very, very distantly related to John Mohegan ?” 

Glances of a very comprehensive meaning were exchanged 
between the heiress and the young man, as Louisa betrayed, 
while vindicating his lineage, the reluctance with which she 
admitted his alliance with the old warrior ; but not even a 
smile at the simplicity of their companion was indulged by 
either. 

“ On reflection, I must acknowledge that my situation here is 
somewhat equivocal,” said Edwards, “ though I may be said to 
have purchased it with my blood.” 

“ The blood, too, of one of the native lords of the soil !” 
cried Elizabeth, who evidently put little faith in his aboriginal 
descent. 

“ Do I bear the marks of my lineage so very plainly impressed 
on my appearance ? Iam dark, but not very red — not more 
so than common ?” 

“ Rather more so, just now.” 

“ I am sure, Miss Temple,” cried Louisa, “ you cannot have 
taken much notice of Mr. Edwards. His eyes are not so black 
as Mohegan’s, or even your own, nor is his hair I” 

“ Very possibly, then, I can lay claim to the same descent. 


308 


THE PIONEERS. 


It would be a great relief to my mind to think so, for I own 
that I grieve when I see old Mohegan walking about these 
lands, like the ghost of one of their ancient possessors, and feel 
how small is my own right to possess them.” 

“ Do you ?” cried the youth, with a vehemence that startled 
the ladies. 

“ I do, indeed,” returned Elizabeth, after suffering a moment 
to pass in surprise ; “ but what can I do ? what can my father 
do ? Should we offer the old man a home and a maintenance, 
his habits would compel him to refuse us. Neither, were wo 
so silly as to wish such a thing, could we convert these clearings 
and farms again into hunting-grounds, as the Leather-stocking 
would wish to see them ” 

“ You speak the truth, Miss Temple,” said Edwards. “ What 
can you do, indeed ? But there is one thing that I am certain 
you can and will do, when you become the mistress of these 
beautiful valleys — use your wealth with indulgence to the poor 
and charity to the needy ; — indeed, you can do no more ” 

“ And that will be doing a good deal,” said Louisa, smiling 
in her turn. “ But there will, doubtless, be one to take the 
direction of such things from her hands.” 

“ I am not about to disclaim matrimony, like a silly girl, who 
dreams of nothing else from morning till night ; but I am a 
nun here, without the vow of celibacy. Where shall I find a 
husband in these forests f” 

“ There is none, Miss Temple,” said Edwards, quickly ; “ there 
is none who has a right to aspire to you, and I know that you 
will wait to be sought by your equal ; or die, as you live, loved, 
respected, and admired by all who know you.” 

The young man seemed to think that he had said all that 
was required by gallantry, for he arose, and taking his hat, 
hurried from the apartment. Perhaps Louisa thought that he 
had said more than was necessary, for she sighed, with an 
aspiration so low that it was scarcely audible to herself, and 
bent her head over her work again. And it is possible that 
Miss Temple wished to hear more, for her eyes continued fixed 


THE PIONEERS. 


309 


for a minute on the door through which the young man had 
passed, then glanced quickly towards her companion, when the 
long silence that succeeded, manifested how much zest may be 
given to the conversation of two maidens under eighteen, by the 
presence of a youth of three-and-twenty. 

The first person encountered by Mr. Edwards, as he rather 
rushed than walked from the house, was the little square-built 
lawyer, with a large bundle of papers under his arm, a pair of 
green spectacles on his nose, with glasses at the sides, as if to 
multiply his power of detecting frauds, by additional organs of 
vision. 

Mr. Van der School was a well educated man, but of slow 
comprehension, who had imbibed a wariness in his speeches and 
actions, from having suffered by his collisions with his more 
mercurial and apt brethren who had laid the foundations of their 
practice in the eastern courts, and who had sucked in shrewd- 
ness with their mother’s milk. The caution of this gentleman 
was exhibited in his actions, by the utmost method and punctu- 
ality, tinctured with a good deal of timidity ; and in his 
speeches, by a parenthetical style, that frequently left to his 
auditors a long search after his meaning. 

“ A good morning to you, Mr. Van der School,” said 
Edwards ; “ it seems to be a busy day with us at the Mansion- 
house.” 

“ Good morning, Mr. Edwards (if that is your name (for, 
being a stranger, we have no other evidence of the fact than 
your own testimony), as I understand you have given it to 
Judge Temple), good morning, sir. It is, apparently, a busy 
day (but a man of your discretion need not be told (having, 
doubtless, discovered it of your own accord), that appearances 
are often deceitful) up at the Mansion-house.” 

“ Have you papers of consequence that will require copying ? 
can I be of assistance in any way ?” 

“ There are papers (as doubtless you see (for your eyes are 
young) by the outsides) that require copying.” 

“ Well, then, I will accompany you to your office, and receive 


310 


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sucli as are most needed, and by night I shall have them done, 
if there be much haste.” 

“ I shall be always glad to see you, sir, at my office (as in 
duty bound (not that it is obligatory to receive any man within 
your dwelling (unless so inclined), which is a castle), according 
to the forms of politeness), or at any other place ; but the papers 
are most strictly confidential (and as such, cannot be read by 
any one), unless so directed (by Judge Temple’s solemn injunc- 
tions), and are invisible to all eyes ; excepting those whose 
duties (I mean assumed duties) require it of them.” 

“ Well, sir, as I perceive that I can be of no service, I wish 
you another good morning ; but beg you will remember that I 
am quite idle just now, and I wish you would intimate as 
much to Judge Temple, and make him a tender of my services 
in any part of the world, unless — unless — it be far from Tem- 
pleton.” 

“ I will make the communication, sir, in your name (with your 
own qualifications), as your agent. Good morning, sir. — But 
stay proceedings, Mr. Edwards (so called), for a moment. Do 
you wish me to state the offer of travelling as a final contract 
(for which consideration has been received at former dates (by 
sums advanced), which would be binding), or as a tender of 
services for which compensation is to be paid (according to 
future agreement between the parties), on performance of the 
conditions ?” 

“ Any way, any way,” said Edwards : “ he seems in distress, 
and I would assist him.” 

“ The motive is good, sir (according to appearances (which 
are often deceitful) on first impressions), and does you honor. 
I will mention your wish, young gentleman (as you now seem), 
and will not fail to communicate the answer by five o’clock p.m. 
of this present day (God willing), if you give me an opportunity 
so to do.” 

The ambiguous nature of the situation and character of Mr. 
Edwards had rendered him an object of peculiar suspicion to 
tile lawyer, and the youth was consequently too much accus- 


THE PIO NEERS. 


311 


tomed to similar equivocal and guarded speeches to feel anv 
unusual disgust at the present dialogue. He saw at once that 
it was the intention of the practitioner to conceal the nature of 
his business, even from the private secretary of Judge Temple ; 
and he knew too well the difficulty of comprehending the 
meaning of Mr. Van der School, when the gentleman most 
wished to be luminous in his discourse, not to abandon all 
thoughts of a discovery, when he perceived that the attorney 
was endeavoring to avoid anything like an approach to a cross- 
examination. They parted at the gate, the lawyer walking, 
with an important and hurried air, towards his office, keeping 
his right hand firmly clenched on the bundle of papers. 

It must have been obvious to all our readers, that the youth 
entertained an unusual and deeply seated prejudice against the 
character of the Judge ; but, owing to some counteracting 
cause, his sensations were now those of powerful interest in the 
state of his patron’s present feelings, and in the cause of his 
secret uneasiness. 

He remained gazing after the lawyer, until the door closed on 
both the bearer and the mysterious packet, when he returned 
slowly to the dwelling, and endeavored to forget his curiosity in 
the usual avocations of his office. 

When the Judge made his re-appearance in the circles of his 
family, his cheerfulness was tempered by a shade of melancholy 
that lingered for many days around his manly brow ; but the 
magical progression of the season aroused him from his tempo- 
rary apathy, and his smiles returned with the summer. 

The heats of the days, and the frequent occurrence of balmy 
showers, had completed, in an incredibly short period, the 
growth of plants, which the lingering spring had so long 
retarded in the germ ; and the woods presented every shade of 
green that the American forests know. The stumps in the 
cleared fields were already hidden beneath the wheat that was 
waving with every breath of the summer air, shining, and 
changing its hues like velvet. 

During the continuance of his cousin’s dejection, Mr. Jones 


312 


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forbore, with much consideration, to press on his attention a 
business that each hour was drawing nearer to the heart of the 
Sheriff, and which, if any opinion could be formed by his fre- 
quent private conferences with the man who was introduced in 
these pages by the name of Jotham, at the bar-room of the Bold 
Dragoon, was becoming also of great importance. 

At length the Sheriff ventured to allude again to the subject ; 
and one evening, in the beginning of July, Marmaduke made 
him a promise of devotiny the following day to the desired 
excursion. 


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313 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

Speak on, my dearest father ! 

Thy words are like the breezes of the west. 

Milman. 

It was a mild and soft morning, when Marmaduke and 
Richard mounted their horses to proceed on the expedition that 
had so long been uppermost in the thoughts of the latter : and 
Elizabeth and Louisa appeared at the same instant in the 1^11, 
attired for an excursion on foot. 

The head of Miss, Grant was covered by a neat little hat of 
green silk, and her modest eyes peered from under its shade, 
with the soft languor that characterized her whole appearance ; 
but Miss Temple trod her father’s wide apartments with the step 
of their mistress, holding in her hand, dangling by one of its 
ribands, the gipsy that was to conceal the glossy locks that 
curled around her polished forehead in rich profusion. 

“ What ! are you for a walk, Bess 3” cried the Judge, sus- 
pending his movements for a moment, to smile, with a father’s 
fondness, at the display of womanly grace and beauty that his 
child presented. “ Remember the heats of J uly, my daughter ; 
nor venture further than thou canst retrace before the meridian. 
Where ?s thy parasol, girl ? thou wilt lose the polish of that 
brow, under this sun and southern breeze, unless thou guard it 
with unusual care.” 

“ I shall then do more honor to my connexions,” returned 
the smiling daughter. “ Cousin Richard has a bloom that any 
lady might envy. At present the resemblance between us 
is so trifling, that no stranger would know us to be ‘ sisters’ 
children.’ ” 

“ Grand-children, you mean, cousin Bess,” said the Sheriff. 

14 


314 


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11 But on, Judge Temple ; time and tide wait for no man ; and 
if you take my counsel, sir, in twelve months from this day you 
may make an umbrella for your daughter of her camel’s hair 
shawl, and have its frame of solid silver. I ask nothing for 
myself, ’duke ; you have been a good friend to me already ; 
besides, all that I have will go to Bess there, one of these 
melancholy days, so it’s as long as it’s short, whether I or you 
leave it. But we have a day’s ride before us, sir ; so move 
forward, or dismount, and say you won’t go at once.” 

“ Patience, patience, Dickon,” returned the Judge, checking 
his horse, and turning again to his daughter. “ If thou art for 
the mountains, love, stray not too deep into the forest, I entreat 
thee ; for, though it is done often with impunity, there is some- 
times danger.” 

“ 'Not at this season, I believe, sir,” said Elizabeth ; “ for, I 
will confess, it is the intention of Louisa and myself to stroll 
among the hills.” 

“ Less at this season than in the winter, dear ; but still there 
may be danger in venturing too far. But though thou art 
resolute, Elizabeth, thou art too much like thy mother not to be 
prudent.” 

The eyes of the parent turned reluctantly from his child, and 
the Judge and Sheriff rode slowly through the gateway, and 
disappeared among the buildings of the village. 

During this short dialogue, young Edwards stood, an atten- 
tive listener, holding in his hand a fishing-rod, the day and the 
season having tempted him also to desert the house, for the 
pleasure of exercise in the air. As the equestrians turned through 
the gate, he approached the young females, who were already 
moving towards the street, and was about to address them, as 
Louisa paused, and said quickly — 

“ Mr. Edwards would speak to us, Elizabeth.” 

The other stopped also, and turned to the youth, politely, but 
with a slight coldness in her air, that sensibly checked the free- 
dom with which he had approached them. 

“ Your father is not pleased that you should walk unattended 


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315 


in the hills, Miss Temple. If I might offer myself as a pro- 
tector ” 

“ Does my father select Mr. Oliver Edwards as the organ of 
his displeasure ?” interrupted the lady. 

“ Good Heaven ! you misunderstood my meaning : I should 
have said uneasy for not pleased. I am his servant, madam, 
and in consequence yours. I repeat that, with your consent, I 
will change my rod for a fowling-piece, and keep nigh you on 
the mountain.” 

“ I thank you, Mr. Edwards ; but where there is no danger, 
no protection is required. We are not yet reduced to wandering 
among these free hills accompanied by a body-guard. If such 
a one is necessary, there he is, however. — Here, Brave, — Brave, 
— my noble Brave !” 

The huge mastiff, that has been already mentioned, appeared 
from his kennel, gaping and stretching himself, with pampered 
laziness ; but as his mistress again called — “ Come, dear Brave ; 
once have you served your master well ; let us see how you 
can do your duty by his daughter” — the dog wagged his tail, 
as if he understood her language, walked with a stately gait to 
her side, where he seated himself, and looked up at her face, 
with an intelligence but little inferior to that which beamed in 
her own lovely countenance. 

She resumed her walk, but again paused, after a few steps, 
and added, in tones of conciliation — 

“ You can be serving us equally, and, I presume, more agree- 
ably to yourself, Mr. Edwards, by bringing us a string of your 
favorite perch, for the dinner-table.” 

When they again began to walk Miss Temple did not look 
back to see how the youth bore this repulse ; but the head of 
Louisa was turned several times before they reached the gate on 
that considerate errand. 

“ I am afraid, Elizabeth,” she said, “ that we have mortified 
Oliver. He is still standing where we left him leaning on his 
rod. Perhaps he thinks us proud.” 

“ He thinks justly,” exclaimed Miss Temple, as if awaking 


316 


THE PIONEERS. 


from a deep musing; “he thinks justly, then. We are too 
proud to admit of such particular attentions from a young man 
in an equivocal situation. What ! make him the companion of 
our most private walks ! It is pride, Louisa, but it is the pride 
of a woman.” 

It was several minutes before Oliver aroused himself from the 
abstracted position in which he was standing when Louisa last 
saw him ; but when he did, he muttered something rapidly and 
incoherently, and throwing his rod over his shoulder, he strode 
down the walk, through the gate, and along oue of the streets 
of the village, until he reached the lake-shore, with the air of an 
emperor. At this spot boats were kept for the use of Judge 
Temple and his family. The young man threw himself into a 
light skiff, and seizing the oars, he sent it across the lake 
towards the hut of Leather-stocking, with a pair of vigorous arms. 
By the time he had rowed a quarter of a mile, his reflections 
were less bitter : and when he saw the bushes that lined the 
shore in front of Natty’s habitation gliding by him, as if they 
possessed the motion which proceeded from his own efforts, he 
was quite cooled in mind, though somewhat heated in body. 
It is quite possible, that the very same reason which guided the 
conduct of Miss Temple, suggested itself to a man of the breed- 
ing and education of the youth ; and it is very certain, that if 
such were the case, Elizabeth rose instead of falling in the esti- 
mation of Mr. Edwards. 

The oars were now raised from the water, and the boat shot 
close in to the land, where it lay gently agitated by waves of 
its own creating, while the young man, first casting a cautious 
and searching glance around him in every direction, put a small 
whistle to his mouth, and blew a long, shrill note, that rang 
among the echoing rocks behind the hut. At this alarm, the 
hounds of Natty rushed out of their bark kennel, and com- 
menced their long piteous howls, leaping about as if half frantic, 
though restrained by the leashes of buck-skin by which they 
were fastened. 

“ Quiet, Hector, quiet,” said Oliver, again applying his 


THE PIONEERS. 


317 


whistle to his mouth, and drawing out notes still more shrill 
than before. No reply was made, the dogs having returned to 
their kennel at the sounds of his voice. 

Edwards pulled the bows of the boat on the shore, and land- 
ing, ascended the beach and approached the door of the cabin. 
The fastenings were soon undone, and he entered, closing the 
door after him, when all was as silent, in that retired spot, as if 
the foot of man had never trod the wilderness. The sounds of 
the hammers, that were in incessant motion in the village, were 
faintly heard across the water ; but the dogs had crouched into 
their lairs, satisfied that none but the privileged had approached 
the forbidden ground. 

A quarter of an hour elapsed before the youth re-appeared, 
when he fastened the door again, and spoke kindly to the 
hounds. The dogs came out at the well known tones, and the 
slut jumped upon his person, whining and barking, as if entreat- 
ing Oliver to release her from prison. But old Hector raised 
his nose to the light current of air, and opened a long howl, 
that might have been heard for a mile. 

“ Ha ! what do you scent, old veteran of the woods ?” cried 
Edwards. “If a beast, it is a bold one; and if a man, an 
impudent.” 

He sprang through the top of a pine that had fallen near 
the side of the hut, and ascended a small hillock that sheltered 
the cabin to the south, where he caught a glimpse of the formal 
figure of Hiram Doolittle, as it vanished with unusual rapidity 
for the architect, amid the bushes. 

“ What can that fellow be wanting here ?” muttered Oliver. 
“ He has no business in this quarter, unless it be curiosity, 
which is an endemic in these wcods. But against that I will 
effectually guard, though the dogs should take a liking to his 
ugly visage, and let him pass.” The youth returned to the 
door, while giving vent to this soliloquy, and completed the 
fastenings, by placing a small chain through a staple, and 
securing it there by a padlock. “He is a pettifogger, and 


318 


THE PIONEERS. 


surely must know that there is such a thing as feloniously 
breaking into a man’s house.” 

Apparently well satisfied with this arrangement, the youth 
again spoke to the hounds ; and, descending to the shore, he 
launched his boat, and taking up his oars, pulled off into 
the lake. 

There were several places in the Otsego that were celebrated 
fishing-ground for perch. One was nearly opposite to the 
cabin, and another, still more famous, was near a point, at the 
distance of a mile and a half above it, under the brow of the 
mountain, and on the same side of the lake with the hut. 
Oliver Edwards pulled his little skiff to the first, and sat, for a 
minute, undecided whether to continue there, with his eyes on 
the door of the cabin, or to change his ground, with a view to 
get superior game. While gazing about him, he saw the light- 
colored bark canoe of his old companions, riding on the water, 
at the point we have mentioned, and containing two figures, 
that he at once knew to be Mohegan and the Leather-stocking. 
This decided the matter, and the youth pulled, in a very few 
minutes, to the place where his friends were fishing, and 
fastened his boat to the light vessel of the Indian. 

The old men received Oliver with welcoming nods, but 
neither drew his line from the water, nor in the least varied his 
occupation. When Edwards had secured his own boat, he 
baited his hook and threw it into the lake, without speaking. 

“Did you stop at the wigwam, lad, as you rowed past?” 
asked Natty. 

“ Yes, and I found all safe ; but that carpenter and justice of 
the peace, Mr., or as they call him, Squire, Doolittle, was 
prowling through the woods. I made sure of the door before I 
left the hut, and I think he is too great a coward to approach 
the hounds.” 

“ There’s little to be said in favor of that man,” said Natty, 
while he drew in a perch and baited his hook. “ lie craves 
dreadfully to come into the cabin, and has as good as asked me 


THE PIONEERS. 


319 


as much to my face; but I put him off with unsartain answers, 
so that he is no wiser than Solomon. This comes of having so 
many laws that such a man may be called on to intarpret them.” 

“ I fear he is more knave than fool,” cried Edwards ; “ he 
makes a tool of that simple man, the Sheriff ; and I dread that 
his impertinent curiosity may yet give us much trouble.” 

“ If he harbors too much about the cabin, lad, I’ll shoot the 
creater,” said the Leather-stocking, quite simply. 

“No, no, Natty, you must remember the law,” said Edwards, 
u or we shall have you in trouble ; and that, 3d man, would be 
an evil day, and sore tidings to us all.” 

“ Would it, boy !” exclaimed the hunter, raising his eyes with 
a look of friendly interest, towards the youth. “ You have the 
true blood in your veins, Mr. Oliver ; and I’ll support it to the 
face of Judge Temple, or in any court in the country. How is 
it, John ? Do I speak the true word ? Is the lad staunch, and 
of the right blood ?” 

“ He is a Delaware,” said Mohegan, “ and my brother. The 
young Eagle is brave, and he will be a chief. No harm can 
come.” 

“ Well, well,” cried the youth, impatiently, “ say no more 
about it, my good friends ; if I am not all that your partiality 
would make me, I am yours through life, in prosperity as in 
poverty. We will talk of other matters.” 

The old hunters yielded to his wish, which seemed to be their 
law. For a short time a profound silence prevailed, during 
which each man was very busy with his hook and line ; but 
Edwards, probably feeling that it remained with him to renew 
the discourse, soon observed, with the air of one who knew not 
what he said — 

“ How beautifully tranquil and glassy the lake is ! Saw you 
it eve? more calm and even than at this moment, Natty?” 

“ I have known the Otsego water for five and forty years,” 
said Leather-stocking ; “ and I will say that for it, which is, that 
a cleaner spring or better fishing is not to be found in the land. 
Yes, yes ; I had the place to myself once, and a cheerful time I 


320 


THE PIONEERS. 


had of it. The game was plenty as heart could wish ; and 
there was none to meddle with the ground, unless there might 
have been a hunting party of the Delawares crossing the hills, 
or, maybe, a rifling scout of them thieves, the Iroquois. There 
was one or two Frenchmen that squatted in the flats, further 
west, and married squaws ; and some of the Scotch-Irishers, 
from the Cherry-Valley, would come on to the lake, and borrow 
my canoe to take a mess of parch, or drop a line for salmon- 
trout ; but, in the main, it was a cheerful place, and I had but 
little to disturb me in it. John would come, and John kncws .” 

Mohegan turned his dark face at this appeal ; and, moving 
his hand forward with a graceful motion of assent, he spoke, 
using the Delaware language — 

“ The land was owned by my people ; we gave it to my 
brother, in council — to the Fire-eater ; and what the Delawares 
give lasts as long as the waters run. Hawk-eye smoked at that 
council, for we loved him.” 

“ No, no, John,” said Natty; “ I was no chief, seeing that I 
know’d nothing of scholarship, and had a white skin. But it 
was a comfortable hunting ground then, lad, and would have 
been so to this day, but for the money of Marmaduke Temple, 
and the twisty ways of the law.” 

“ It must have been a sight of melancholy pleasure indeed,” 
said Edwards, while his eye roved along the shores and over 
the hills, where the clearings, groaning with the golden corn, 
were cheering the forests with the signs of life, “ to have 
roamed over these mountains, and along this sheet of beautiful 
water, without a living soul to speak to, or to thwart your humor.” 

“ Haven’t I said it was cheerful ?” said Leather-stocking. 
“ Yes, yes ; when the trees began to be covered with leaves, 
and the ice was out of the lake, it was a second paradise. I 
have travelled the woods for fifty-three years, and have made 
them my home for more than forty ; and I can say that I have 
met but one place that was more to my liking ; and that was 
only to eyesight, and not for hunting or fishing.” 

“ And where was that ?” asked Edwards. 


THE PIONEERS. 


321 


“ Where ! why up on the Cattskills. I used often to go up 
into the mountains after wolves’ skins and bears ; once they paid 
me to get them a stuffed painter, and so I often went. There’s 
a place in them hills that I used to climb to when I wanted to 
see the carryings on of the world, that would well pay any man 
for a barked shin or a torn moccasin. You know the Cattskills, 
lad ; for you must have seen them on your left, as you followed 
the river up from York, looking as blue as a piece of clear sky, 
and holding the clouds on their tops, as the smoke curls over 
the head of an Indian chief at the council fire. Well, there’s 
the High-peak and the Kound-top, which lay back like a father 
and mother among their children, seeing they are far above all 
the other hills. But the place I mean is next to the river, 
where one of the ridges juts out a little from the rest, and where 
the rocks fall, for the best part of a thousand feet, so much up 
and down, that a man standing on their edges is fool enough to 
think he can jump from top to bottom.” 

“ What see you when you get there ?” asked Edwards. 

“ Creation,” said Natty, dropping the end of his rod into the 
water, and sweeping one hand around him in a circle : “ all 
creation, lad. I was on that hill when Vaughan burned ’Sopus 
in the last war ; and I saw the vessels come out of the High- 
lands as plain as I can see that lime-scow rowing into the Sus- 
quehanna, though one was twenty times further from me than 
the other. The river was in sight for seventy miles, looking 
like a curled shaving under my feet, though it was eight long 
miles to its banks. I saw the hills in the Hampshire grants, 
the highlands of the river, and all that God had done, or man 
could do, far as eye could reach — you know that the Indians 
named me for my sight, lad ; and from the flat on the top of 
that mountain, I have often found the place where Albany 
stands. And as for ’Sopus, the day the royal troops burnt the 
town, the smoke seemed so nigh, that I thought I could hear 
the screeches of the women.” 

“ It must have been worth the toil to meet with such a 
glorious view.” 


14 * 


322 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ If being the best part of a mile in the air, and having men’s 
farms and housen at your feet, with rivers looking like ribbons, 
and mountains bigger than the ‘ Vision,’ seeming to be hay- 
stacks of green grass under you, gives any satisfaction to a man, 
I can recommend the spot. When I first came into the woods 
to live, I used to have weak spells when I felt lonesome ; and 
then I would go into the Cattskills, and spend a few days on 
that hill to look at the ways of man ; but it’s now many a year 
since I felt any such longings, and I am getting too old for 
rugged rocks. But there’s a place, a short two miles back 
of that very hill, that in late times I relished better than 
the mountain ; for it was more covered with the trees, and 
nateral.” 

“ And where was that ?” inquired Edwards, whose curiosity 
was strongly excited by the simple description of the hunter. 

“ Why, there’s a fall in the hills where the water of two 
little ponds, that lie near each other, breaks out of the^'r bounds 
and runs over the rocks into the valley. The stream is, maybe, 
such a one as would turn a mill, if so useless a thing was 
wanted in the wilderness. But the hand that made that ‘ Leap’ 
never made a mill. There the water comes crooking and wind- 
ing among the rocks ; first so slow that a trout could swim in 
it, and then starting and running like a crater that wanted to 
make a far spring, till it gets to where the mountain divides, 
like the cleft hoof of a deer, leaving a deep hollow for the brook 
to tumble into. The first pitch is nigh two hundred feet, and 
the water looks like flakes of driven snow afore it touches the 
bottom ; and there the stream gathers itself together again for 
a new start, and maybe flutters over fifty feet of flat rock before 
it falls for another hundred, when it jumps about from shelf to 
shelf, first turning this-away and then turning that-away, striving 
to get out of the hollow, till it finally comes to the plain.” 

“ I have never heard of this spot before ; it is not mentioned 
in the books.” 

“ I never read a book in my life,” said Leather-stocking ; 
u and how should a man who has lived in towns and schools 


THE PIONEERS. 


323 


know anything about the wonders of the woods ? No, no, lad ; 
there has that little stream of water been playing among the 
hills since He made the world, and not a dozen white men 
have ever laid eyes on it. The rock sweeps like mason- work, 
in a half-round, on both sides of the fall, and shelves over the 
bottom for fifty feet ; so that when I’ve been sitting at the foot 
of the first pitch, and my hounds have run into the caverns 
behind the sheet of water, they’ve looked no bigger than so 
many rabbits. To my judgment, lad, it’s the best piece of 
work that I’ve met with in the woods ; and none know how 
often the hand of God is seen in the wilderness, but them that 
rove it for a man’s life.” 

u What becomes of the water ? In which direction does it 
run ? Is it a tributary of the Delaware V ’ 

“ Anan !” said Natty. 

“ Does the water run into the Delaware ?” 

“ No, no ; it’s a (h op for the old Hudson, and a merry time 
it has till it gets down off the mountain. I’ve sat on the shelv- 
ing rock many a long hour, boy, and watched the bubbles as 
they shot by me, and thought how long it would be before that 
very water, which seemed made for the wilderness, would be 
under the bottom of a vessel, and tossing in the salt sea. It is 
a spot to make a man solemnize. You can see right down into 
the valley that lies to the east of the High Peak, where, in the 
fall of the year, thousands of acres of woods are before your 
eyes, in the deep hollow, and along the side of the mountain, 
painted like ten thousand rainbows, by no hand of man, though 
without the ordering of God’s providence.” 

“You are eloquent, Leather-stocking,” exclaimed the youth. 

“ Anan !” repeated Natty. 

“ The recollection of the sight has warmed your blood, old 
man. How many years is it since you saw the p/ace ?” 

The hunter made no reply ; but, bending his ear near the 
water, he sat holding his breath, and listening attentively as if 
to some distant sound. At length he raised his head, and 
said — 


324 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ If I hadn’t fastened the hounds with my own hands, with a 
•fresh leash of green buckskin, I’d take a Bible oath that I heard 
old Hector ringing his cry on the mountain.” 

“ It is impossible,” said Edwards ; “ it is not an hour since I 
saw him in his kennel.” 

By this time the attention of Mohegan was attracted to the 
sounds ; but, notwithstanding the youth was both silent and 
attentive, he could hear nothing but the lowing of some cattle 
from the western hills. He looked at the old men, Natty sitting 
with his hand to his ear, like a trumpet, and Mohegan bending 
forward, with an arm raised to a level with his face, holding 
the forefinger elevated as a signal for attention, and laughed 
aloud at what he deemed to be their imaginary sounds. 

“ Laugh if you will, boy,” said Leather-stocking ; “ the 
hounds be out, and are hunting a deer. No man can deceive 
me in such a matter. I wouldn’t have had the thing happen 
for a beaver’s skin. Not that I care for the law ! but the venison 
is lean now, and the dumb things run the flesh off their own 
bones for no good. Now do you hear the hounds ?” 

Edwards started, as a full cry broke on his ear, changing 
from the distant sounds that were caused by some intervening 
hill, to confused echoes that rang among the rocks that the 
dogs were passing, and then directly to a deep and hollow bay- 
ing that pealed under the forest on the lake shore. These 
variations in the tones of the hounds passed with amazing 
rapidity ; and while his eyes were glancing along the margin 
of the water, a tearing of the branches of the alder and dog- 
wood caught his attention, at a spot near them, and at the 
next moment a noble buck sprang on the shore, and buried 
himself in the lake. A full-mouthed cry followed, when Hector 
and the slut shot through the opening in the bushes, and darted 
into the lake also, bearing their breasts gallantly against the 
water. 


THE PIONEERS. 


325 


CHAPTER XXVII. 


Oft in the full descending flood he tries 
To lose the scent, and lave his burning sides. 

Thomson. 


u I know’d it — I know’d it ! ” cried Natty, when both deer 
and hounds were in full view ; — “ the buck has gone by them 
with the wind, and it has been too much for the poor rogues ; 
but I must break them of these tricks, or they’ll give me a deal 
of trouble. He-ere, he-ere — shore with you, rascals — shore 
with you — will ye ? — Oh ! off with you, old Hector, or I’ll 
hatchel your hide with my ramrod when I get ye.” 

The dogs knew their master’s voice, and after swimming in a 
circle, as if reluctant to give over the chase, and yet afraid to 
persevere, they finally obeyed, and returned to the land, where 
they filled the air with their cries. 

In the meantime the deer, urged by his fears, had swum 
over half the distance between the shore and the boats, before 
his terror permitted him to see the new danger. But at the 
sounds of Nattv’s voice, he turned short in his course, and for a 
few moments seemed about to rush back again, and brave the 
dogs. His retreat in this direction was, however, effectually cut 
off, and turning a second time, he urged his course obliquely for 
the centre of the lake, with an intention of landing on the 
western shore. As the buck swam by the fishermen, raising his 
nose high into the air, curling the water before his slim neck 
like the beak of a galley, the Leather-stocking began to sit very 
uneasy in his canoe. 

“ ’ Tis a noble creater ! ” he exclaimed ; “ what a pair of 
horns ! a man might hang up all his garments on the branches. 
Let me see — July is the last month, and the flesh must be 


826 


THE PIONEERS. 


getting good.” While he was talking, Natty had instinctively 
employed himself in fastening the inner end of the bark rope, 
that served him for a cable, to a paddle, and rising suddenly on 
his legs, he cast this buoy away, and cried — “ Strike out, John ! 
let her go. The creater’s a fool to tempt a man in this way.” 

Mohegan threw the fastening of the youth's boat from the 
canoe, and with one stroke of his paddle sent the light bark 
over the water like a meteor. 

“ Hold ! ” exclaimed Edwards. “ Remember the law, my old 
friends. You are in plain sight of the village, and I know 
that Judge Temple is determined to prosecute all indiscrimi- 
nately, who kill deer out of season.” 

The remonstrance came too late : the canoe was already far 
from the skiff, and the two hunters were too much engaged in 
the pursuit to listen to his voice. 

The buck was now within fifty yards of his pursuers, cutting 
the water gallantly, and snorting at each breath with terror and 
his exertions, while the canoe seemed to dance over the waves, 
as it rose and fell with the undulations made by its own motion. 
Leather-stocking raised his rifle and freshened the priming, but 
stood in suspense whether to slay his victim or not. 

“ Shall I, John, or no ? ” he said. “ It seems but a poor 
advantage to take of the dumb thing too. I won’t ; it has 
taken to the water on its own nater, which is the reason that 
God has given to a deer, and I’ll give it the lake play ; so, 
John, lay out your arm, and mind the turn of the buck ; it’s 
easy to catch them, but they’ll turn like a snake.” 

The Indian laughed at the conceit of his friend, but con- 
tinued to send the canoe forward with a velocity that proceeded 
much more from his skill than his strength. Both of the old 
men now used the language of the Delawares when they spoke. 

“ Hugh ! ” exclaimed Mohegan ; “ the deer turns his head. 
Hawk-eye, lift your spear.” 

• Natty never moved abroad without taking with him every 
implement that might, by possibility, be of service in his pur- 
suits. From his rifle he never parted; and although intending 


THE PIONEERS. 


327 


to fish with the line, the canoe was invariably furnished with 
all of its utensils, even to its grate. This precaution grew out 
of the habits of the hunter, who was often led, by his necessities 
or his sports, far beyond the limits of his original destination. 
A few years earlier than the date of our tale, the Leather-stock- 
ing had left his hut on the shores of the Otsego, with his rifle 
and his hounds, for a few days’ hunting in the hills ; but before 
he returned he had seen the waters of Ontario. One, two, or 
even three hundred miles had once been nothing to his sinews, 
which were now a little stiffened by age. The hunter did as 
Mohegan advised, and prepared to strike a blow, with the 
barbed weapon, into the neck of the buck. 

“ Lay her more to the left, John,” he cried, “ lay her more 
to the left ; another stroke of the paddle, and I have him.” 

While speaking, he raised the spear, and darted it from him 
like an arrow. At that instant the buck turned, the long pole 
glanced by him, the iron striking against his horn, and buried 
itself, harmlessly, in the lake. 

“ Back water,” cried Natty, as the canoe glided over the 
place where the spear had fallen ; “ hold water, John.” 

The pole soon re-appeared, shooting upwards from the lake, 
and as the hunter seized it in his hand, the Indian whirled the 
light canoe round, and renewed the chase. But this evolution 
gave the buck a great advantage ; and it also allowed time for 
Edwards to approach the scene of action. 

“ Hold your hand, Natty ! ” cried the youth, “ hold your 
hand ! remember it is out of season.” 

This remonstrance was made as the batteau arrived close to 
the place where the deer was struggling with the water, his 
back now rising to the surface, now sinking beneath it, as the 
waves curled from his neck, the animal still sustaining itself 
nobly against the odds. 

“ Hurrah ! ” shouted Edwards, inflamed beyond prudence at 
the sight ; “ mind him as he doubles — mind him as he doubles ; 
sheer more to the right, Mohegan, more to the right, and I’ll 
have him by the horns ; I’ll throw the rope over his antlers.” 


328 


THE PIONEERS. 


The dark eye of the old warrior was dancing in his head, 
with a wild animation, and the sluggish repose in which his 
aged frame had been resting in the canoe was now changed to 
all the rapid inflections of practised agility. The canoe whirled 
with each cunning evolution of the chase, like a bubble floating 
in a whirlpool ; and when the direction of the pursuit admitted 
of a straight course, the little bark skimmed the lake with a 
velocity that urged the deer to seek its safety in some new turn. 

It was the frequency of these circuitous movements, that, by 
confining the action to so small a compass, enabled the youth 
to keep near his companions. More than twenty times both 
the pursued and the pursuers glided by him, just without the 
reach of his oars, until he thought the best way to view the 
sport was to remain stationary, and, by watching a favorable 
opportunity, assist as much as he could, in taking the victim. 

He was not required to wait long, for no sooner had he 
adopted this resolution, and risen in the boat, than he saw the 
deer coming bravely towards him, with an apparent intention 
of pushing for a point of land at some distance from the hounds, 
who were still barking and howling on the shore. Edwards 
caught the painter of his skiff, and, making a noose, cast it from 
him with all his force, and luckily succeeded in drawing its knot 
close around one of the antlers of the buck. 

For one instant, the skiff was drawn through the water, but 
in the next, the canoe glided before it, and Natty, bending low, 
passed his knife across the throat of the animal, whose blood 
followed the wound, dying the waters. The short time that 
was passed in the last struggles of the animal was spent by the 
hunters in bringing their boats together, and securing them in 
that position, when Leather-stocking drew the deer from the 
water, and laid its lifeless form in the bottom of the canoe. He 
placed his hands on the ribs, and on different parts of the body 
of his prize, and then, raising his head, he laughed in his pecu- 
liar manner — 

“ So much for Marmaduke Temple’s law ! ” he said. “ This 
warms a body’s blood, old John ; I haven’t killed a buck in the 


THE PIONEERS. 


329 


lake afore this, sin’ many a year. I call that good venison, lad ; 
and I know them that will relish the creater’s steaks, for all the 
betterments in the land.” 

The Indian had long been drooping with his years, and per- 
haps under the calamities of his race, but this invigorating and 
exciting sport caused a gleam of sunshine to cross his swarthy 
face that had long been absent from his features. It was evi- 
dent the old man enjoyed the chase more as a memorial of his 
youthful sports and deeds, than with any expectation of profit- 
ing by the success. He felt the deer, however, lightly, his hand 
already trembling with the re-action of his unusual exertions, 
and smiled with a nod of approbation, as he said, in the emphatic 
and sententious manner of his people — 

“ Good.” 

“ I am afraid, Natty,” said Edwards, when the heat of the 
moment had passed, and his blood began to cool, “that we 
have all been equally transgressors of the law. But keep your 
own counsel, and there are none here to betray us. Yet, how 
came those dogs at large ? I left them securely fastened, I 
know, for I felt the thongs, and examined the knots, when I 
was at the hut.” 

“ It has been too much for the poor things,” said Natty, “ to 
have such a buck take the wind of them. See, lad, the pieces 
of the buck-skin are hanging from their necks yet. Let us 
paddle up, John, and I will call them in, and look a little into 
the matter.” 

When the old hunter landed, and examined the thongs that 
were yet fast to the hounds, his countenance sensibly changed, 
and he shook his head doubtingly. 

“ Here has been a knife at work,” he said : — “ this skin was 
never torn, nor is this the mark of a hound’s tooth. No, no — 
Hector is not in fault, as I feared.” 

“ Has the leather been cut ? ” cried Edwards. 

“ No, no — I didn’t say it had been cut, lad ; but this is a 
mark that was never made by a jump or a bite.” 

“ Could that rascally carpenter have dared ! ” 


330 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ Ay ! lie durst to do anything when there is no danger,” 
said Natty : “ he is a curious body, and loves to be helping 
other people on with their consarns. But he had best not 
harbor so much near the wigwam ! ” 

In the meantime, Mohegan had been examining, with an 
Indian’s sagacity, the place where the leather thong had been 
separated. After scrutinizing it closely, he said, in Delaware — 

“ It was cut with a knife — a sharp blade and a long handle 
— the man was afraid of the dogs.” 

“ How is this, Mohegan ? ” exclaimed Edwards : “ you saw 
it not ! how can you know these facts ? ” 

“ Listen, son,” said the warrior. “ The knife was sharp, for 
the cut is smooth ; — the handle was long, for a man’s arm 
would not reach from this gash to the cut that did not go 
through the skin : — he was a coward, or he would have cut 
the thongs around the necks of the hounds.” 

“ On my life,” cried Natty, “John is on the scent ! It was 
the carpenter ; and he has got on the rock back of the kennel, 
and let the dogs loose by fastening his knife to a stick. It 
would be an easy matter to do it, where a man is so minded.” 

“ And why should he do so ? ” asked Edwards : “ who has 
done him wrong, that he should trouble two old men like 
you ? ” 

“ It’s a hard matter, lad, to know men’s ways, I find, since 
the settlers have brought in their new fashions. But is there 
uothing to be found out in the place ? and maybe he is troubled 
with his longings after other people’s business, as he often is.” 

“Your suspicions are just. Give me the canoe : I am young 
and strong, and will get down there yet, perhaps, in time to 
interrupt his plans. Heaven forbid that we should be at the 
mercy of such a man ! ” 

His proposal was accepted, the deer being placed in the skiff 
in order to lighten the canoe, and in less than five minutes the 
little vessel of bark was gliding over the glassy lake, and was 
soon hid by the points of land, as it shot close along the 
shore. 


THE PIONEERS. 


381 


Mohegan followed slowly with the skiff, while Natty called 
his hounds to him, bade them keep close, and, shouldering his 
rifle, he ascended the mountain, with an intention of going to 
the hut bv land. 


332 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER XXVIII. 


Ask me not what the maiden feels, 

Left in that dreadful hour alone ; 

Perchance, her reason stoops, or reels ; 

Perchance, a courage not her own, 

Braces her mind to desperate tone. 

Scott. 


While the chase was occurring on the lake, Miss Temple 
and her companion pursued their walk on the mountain. Male 
attendants on such excursions were thought to be altogether 
unnecessary, for none were ever known to offer an insult to a 
female, who respected herself. After the embarrassment created 
by the parting discourse with Edwards had dissipated, the girls 
maintained a conversation that was as innocent and cheerful as 
themselves. 

The path they took led them but a short distance above 
the hut of Leather-stocking, and there was a point in the 
road which commanded a bird’s eye view of the sequestered 
spot. 

From a feeling that might have been natural, and must have 
been powerful, neither of the friends, in their frequent and con- 
fidential dialogues, had ever trusted herself to utter one syllable 
concerning the equivocal situation in which the young man 
who was now so intimately associated with them, had been 
found. If Judge Temple had deemed it prudent to make any 
inquiries on the subject, he had also thought it proper to keep 
the answers to himself; though it was so common an occurrence 
to find the well educated youth of the eastern states in every 
stage of their career to wealth, that the simple circumstance of 
his intelligence, connected with his poverty, would not, at that 
day, and in that country, have excited any very powerful curi- 


THE PIONEERS. 


333 


osity. With his breeding, it might have been different ; but 
the youth himself had so effectually guarded against surprise on 
this subject, by his cold, and even, in some cases, rude deport- 
ment, that when his manners seemed to soften by time, the 
Judge, if he thought about it at all, would have been most 
likely to imagine that the improvement was the result of his 
late association. But women are always more alive to such 
subjects than men ; and what the abstraction of the father had 
overlooked, the observation of the daughter had easily detected. 
In the thousand little courtesies of polished life, she had early 
discovered that Edwards was not wanting, though his gentle- 
ness was so often crossed by marks of what she conceived to be 
fierce and uncontrollable passions. It may, perhaps, be unneces- 
sary to tell the reader that Louisa Grant never reasoned so 
much after the fashions of the world. The gentle girl, however, 
had her own thoughts on the subject, and, like others, she drew 
her own conclusions. 

“ I would give all my other secrets, Louisa,” exclaimed Miss 
Temple, laughing, and shaking back her dark locks, with a 
look of childish simplicity that her intelligent face seldom 
expressed, “ to be mistress of all that those rude logs have heard 
and witnessed.” 

They were both looking at the secluded hut at the instant, 
and Miss Grant raised her mild eyes as she answered — 

“ I am sure they would tell nothing to the disadvantage of 
Mr. Edwards.” 

“ Perhaps not ; but they might, at least, tell who he is.” 

“ Why, dear Miss Temple, we know all that already. I have 
heard it all very rationally explained by your cousin — ” 

u The executive chief ! he can explain anything. His inge- 
nuity will one day discover the philosopher’s stone. But what 
did he say ?” 

“ Say !” echoed Louisa, with a look of surprise ; “ why 
everything that seemed to me to be satisfactory, and I have 
believed it to be true. He said that Natty Bumppo had lived 
most of his life in the woods, and among the Indians, by which 


334 


THE PIONEERS. 


means be bad formed an acquaintance with old John, the Dela- 
ware chief.” 

“ Indeed ! that was quite a matter-of-fact tale for cousin 
Dickon. What came next ?” 

“ I believe be accounted for their close intimacy, by some 
story about the Leather-stocking saving the life of John in a 
battle.” 

“ Nothing more likely,” said Elizabeth, a little impatiently ; 
“ but what is all this to the purpose ?” 

“ Nay, Elizabeth, you must bear with my ignorance, and I 
will repeat all that I remember to have overheard ; for the 
dialogue was between my father and the Sheriff, so lately as the 
last time they met. He then added, that the kings of England 
used to keep gentlemen as agents among the different tribes of 
Indians, and sometimes officers in the army, who frequently 
passed half their lives on the edge of the wilderness.” 

“ Told with wonderful historical accuracy ! And did he end 
there ?” 

“ Oh ! no — then he said that these agents seldom married ; 
and — and — they must have been wicked men, Elizabeth ! but I 
assure you he said so.” 

“ Never mind,” said Miss Temple, blushing and smiling, 
though so slightly, that both were unheeded by her companion 
— ■“ skip all that.” 

“ Well, then, he said that they often took great pride in the 
education of their children, whom they frequently sent to Eng- 
land, and even to the colleges ; and this is the way that he 
accounts for the liberal manner in which Mr. Edwards has been 
taught ; for he acknowledges that he knows almost as much as 
your father — or mine — or even himself.” 

“ Quite a climax in learning ! And so he made Moliegan the 
grand uncle, or grand father of Oliver Edwards.” 

“You have heard him yourself, then ?” said Louisa. 

“ Often ; but not on this subject. Mr. Richard Jones, you 
know, dear, has a theory for everything ; but has he one which 
will explain the reason why that hut is the only habitation 


THE PIONEERS. 


335 


within fifty miles of us, whose door is not open to every person 
who may choose to lift its latch ?” 

“I have never heard him say anything on this subject,” 
returned the clergyman’s daughter ; “ but I suppose that, as 
they are poor, they very naturally are anxious to keep the little 
that they honestly own. It is sometimes dangerous to be rich, 
Miss Temple ; but you cannot know how hard it is to be very, 
very poor.” 

“ Nor you, I trust, Louisa ; at least I should hope that, in 
this land of abundance, no minister of the church could be left 
to absolute suffering.” 

“ There cannot be actual misery,” returned the other, in a 
low and humble tone, “ where there is a dependence on our 
Maker ; but there may be such suffering as will cause the heart 
to ache.” 

“ But not you- — not you,” said the impetuous Elizabeth — 
“ not you, dear girl : you have never known the misery that is 
connected with poverty.” 

“ Ah ! Miss Temple, you little understand the troubles of this 
life, I believe. My father has spent many years as a missionary 
in the new countries, where his people were poor, and frequently 
we have been without bread ; unable to buy, and ashamed to 
beg, because we would not disgrace his sacred calling. But 
how often have I seen him leave his home, where the sick and 
the hungry felt, when he left them, that they had lost their 
only earthly friend, to ride on a duty which could not be 
neglected for domestic evils. Oh ! how hard it must be to 
preach consolation to others, when your own heart is bursting 
with anguish !” 

“ But it is all over now ! your father’s income must now be 
equal to his wants — it must be — it shall be ■” 

“ It is,” replied Louisa, dropping her head on her bosom, to 
conceal the tears which flowed in spite of her gentle Christianity 
— “ for there are none left to be supplied but me.” 

The turn the conversation had taken drove from the, minds 
of the young maidens all other thoughts but those of holy 


33(3 


THIS PIONEERS. 


charity ; and Elizabeth folded her friend in her arms, when the 
latter gave vent to her momentary grief in audible sobs. When 
this burst of emotion had subsided, Louisa raised her mild 
countenance, and they continued their walk in silence. 

By this time they had gained the summit of the mountain, 
where they left the highway, and pursued their course under 
the shade of the stately trees that crowned the eminence. The 
day was becoming warm, and the girls plunged more deeply 
into the forest, as they found its invigorating coolness agreeably 
contrasted to the excessive heat they had experienced in the 
ascent. The conversation, as if by mutual consent, was entirely 
changed to the little incidents and scenes of their walk, and 
every tall pine, and every shrub or flower, called forth some 
simple expression of admiration. 

In this manner they proceeded along the margin of the pre- 
cipice, catching occasional glimpses of the placid Otsego, or 
pausing to listen to the rattling of wheels and the sounds of 
hammers, that rose from the valley, to mingle the signs of men 
with the scenes of nature, when Elizabeth suddenly started, and 
exclaimed — 

“ Listen ! there are the cries of a child on this mountain ! 
is there a clearing near us ? or can some little one have strayed 
from its parents ?” 

“Such things frequently happen,” returned Louisa. “Let 
us follow the sounds : it may be a wanderer starving on the 
hill.” 

Urged by this consideration, the females pursued the low, 
mournful sounds, that proceeded from the forest, with quick and 
impatient steps. More than once, the ardent Elizabeth was on 
the point of announcing that she saw the sufferer, when Louisa 
caught her by the arm, and pointing behind them, cried — 

“ Look at the dog !” 

Brave had been their companion, from the time the voice 
of his young mistress lured him from his kennel, to the present 
moment. His advanced age had long before deprived him of 
his activity ; and when his companions stopped to view the 


THE PIONEERS. 


337 


scenery, or to add to their bouquets, the mastiff would lay his 
huge frame on the ground, and await their movements, with 
his eyes closed, and a listlessness in his air that ill accorded 
with the character of a protector. But when, aroused by this 
cry from Louisa, Miss Temple turned, she saw the dog with his 
eyes keenly set on some distant object, his head bent near the 
ground, and his hair actually rising on his body, through fright 
or anger. It was most probably the latter, for he was growling 
in a low r key, and occasionally showing his teeth, in a manner 
that would have terrified his mistress, had she not so well known 
his good qualities. 

“ Brave !” she said, “ be quiet, Brave ! what do you see, 
fellow ?” 

At the sounds of her voice, the rage of the mastiff, instead of 
being at all diminished, was very sensibly increased. He 
stalked in front of the ladies, and seated himself at the feet of 
his mistress, growling louder than before, and occasionally giving 
vent to his ire, by a short, surly barking. 

“ What does he see ?” said Elizabeth : “ there must be some 
animal in sight.” 

Hearing no answer from her companion, Miss Temple turned 
her head, and beheld Louisa, standing with her face whitened 
to the color of death, and her finger pointing upwards, with a 
sort of flickering, convulsed motion. The quick eye of Eliza- 
beth glanced in the direction indicated by her friend, where she 
saw the fierce front and glaring eyes of a female panther, fixed 
on them in horrid malignity, and threatening to leap. 

“Let us fly,” exclaimed Elizabeth, grasping the arm of 
Louisa, whose form yielded like melting snow. 

There was not a single feeling in the temperament of Eliza- 
beth Temple that could prompt her to desert a companion in 
such an extremity. She fell on her knees, by the side of the 
inanimate Louisa, tearing from the person of her friend, with 
instinctive readiness, such parts of her dress as might obstruct 
her respiration, and encouraging their only safeguard, the dog, 
at the same time, by the sounds of her voice. 

15 


338 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ Courage, Brave !” she cried, her own tones beginning to 
tremble, “ courage, courage, good Brave !” 

A quarter-grown cub, that had hitherto been unseen, now 
appeared, dropping from the branches of a sapling that grew 
under the shade of the beech which held its dam. This igno- 
rant, but vicious creature, approached the dog, imitating the 
actions and sounds of its parent, but exhibiting a strange mix- 
ture of the playfulness of a kitten with the ferocity of its race. 
Standing on its hind legs, it would rend the bark of a tree with 
its fore paws, and play the antics of a cat ; and then, by lashing 
itself with its tail, growling, and scratching the earth, it would 
attempt the manifestations of anger that rendered its parent so 
terrific. 

All this time Brave stood firm and undaunted, his short tail 
erect, his body drawn backward on its haunches, and his eyes 
following the movements of both dam and cub. At every 
gambol played by the latter, it approached nigher to the dog, 
the growling of the three becoming more horrid at each 
moment, until the younger beast overleaping its intended 
bound, fell directly before the mastiff. There was a moment 
of fearful cries and struggles, but they ended almost as soon as 
commenced, by the cub appearing in the air, hurled from the 
jaws of Brave, with a violence that sent it against a tree so 
forcibly as to render it completely senseless. 

Elizabeth witnessed the short struggle, and her blood was 
warming with the triumph of the dog, when she saw the form 
of the old panther in the air, springing twenty feet from the 
branch of the beech to the back of the mastiff. No words of 
ours can describe the fury of the conflict that followed. It was 
a confused struggle on the dry leaves, accompanied by loud and 
terrific cries. Miss Temple continued on her knees, bending 
over the form of Louisa, her eyes fixed on the animals, with 
an interest so horrid, and yet so intense, that she almost forgol 
her own stake in the result. So rapid and vigorous were the 
bounds of the inhabitant of the forest, that its active frame 
Beemed constantly in the air, while the dog nobly faced his foe 


the Pioneers. 


330 


at each successive leap. When the panther lighted on the 
shoulders of the mastiff, which was its constant aim, old Brave, 
though torn with her talons, and stained with his own blood, 
that already flowed from a dozen wounds, would shake off his 
furious foe like a feather, and rearing on his hind legs, rush to 
the fray again, with jaws distended, knd a dauntless eye. But 
age, and his pampered life, greatly disqualified the noble mastiff 
for such a struggle. In everything but courage, he was only 
the vestige of what he had once been. A higher bound than 
ever raised the wary and furious beast far beyond the reach of 
the dog, who was making a desperate but fruitless dash at her, 
from which she alighted in a favorable position, on the back of 
her aged foe. For a single moment only could the panther 
remain there, the great strength of the dog returning with a 
convulsive effort. But Elizabeth saw, as Brave fastened his teeth 
in the side of his enemy, that the collar of brass around his 
neck, which had been glittering throughout the fray, was of the 
color of blood, and directly, that his frame was sinking to the 
earth, where it soon lay prostrate and helpless. Several mighty 
efforts of the wild-cat to extricate herself from the jaws of the 
dog followed, but they were fruitless, until the mastiff turned 
on his back, his lips collapsed, and his teeth loosened, when the 
short convulsions and stillness that succeeded, announced the 
death of poor Brave. 

Elizabeth now lay wholly at the mercy of the beast. There 
is said to be something in the front of the image of the Maker 
that daunts the hearts of the inferior beings of his creation ; 
and it would seem that some such power, in the present 
instance, suspended the threatened blow. The eyes of the 
monster and the kneeling maiden met for an instant, when the 
former stooped to examine her fallen foe; next to scent her 
luckless cub. From the latter examination, it turned, however, 
with its eyes apparently emitting flashes of fire, its tail lashing 
its sides furiously, and its claws projecting inches from her broad 
feet. 

Miss Temple did not or could not move. Her hands were 


340 


THE PIONEERS. 


clasped in the attitude of prayer, but her eyes were still drawn 
to her terrible enemy — her cheeks were blanched to the white- 
ness of marble, and her lips were slightly separated with horror. 

The moment seemed now to have arrived for the fatal 
termination, and the beautiful figure of Elizabeth was bowing 
meekly to the stroke, when a rustling of leaves behind seemed 
rather to mock the organs than to meet her ears. 

“ Hist ! hist ! ” said a low voice, “ steep lower, gal ; your 
bonnet hides the creater’s head.” 

It was rather the yielding of nature than a compliance with 
this unexpected order, that caused the head of our heroine to 
sink on her bosom ; when she heard the report of the rifle, the 
whizzing of the bullet, and the enraged cries of the beast, who 
was rolling over on the earth biting its own flesh, and tearing 
the twigs and branches within its reach. At the next instant 
the form of the Leather-stocking rushed by her, and he called 
aloud — 

“ Come in, Hector, come in, old fool ; ’tis a hard-lived ani- 
mal, and may jump ag’in.” 

Natty fearlessly maintained his position in front of the 
females, notwithstanding the violent bounds and threatening 
aspect of the wounded panther, which gave several indications 
of returning strength and ferocity, until his rifle was again 
loaded, when he stepped up to the enraged animal, and placing 
the muzzle close to its head, every spark of life was extin- 
guished by the discharge. 

The death of her terrible enemy appeared to Elizabeth like a 
resurrection from her own grave. There was an elasticity in 
the mind of our heroine that rose to meet the pressure of instant 
danger, and the more direct it had been, the more her nature 
had struggled to overcome them. But still she was a woman. 
Had she been- left to herself in her late extremity, she would 
probably have used her faculties to the utmost, and with discre- 
tion, in protecting her person ; but encumbered with her inani- 
mate friend, retreat was a thing not to be attempted. Not- 
withstanding the fearful aspect of her foe, the eye of Elizabeth 


THE PIONEERS. 


341 


had never shrunk from its gaze, and long after the event her 
thoughts would recur to her passing sensations, and the sweet- 
ness of her midnight sleep would be disturbed, as her active 
fancy conjured, in dreams, the most trifling movements of 
savage fury that the beast had exhibited in its moment of 
power. 

We shall leave the reader to imagine the restoration of 
Louisa’s senses, and the expressions of gratitude which fell from 
the young women. The former was effected by a little water, 
that was brought from one of the thousand springs of those 
mountains, in the cap of the Leather-stocking ; and the latter 
were uttered with the warmth that might be expected from the 
character of Elizabeth. Natty received her vehement protesta- 
tions of gratitude with a simple expression of good-will, and 
with indulgence for her present excitement, but with a careless- 
ness that showed how little he thought of the service he had 
rendered. 

“ Well, well,” he said, “ be it so, gal ; let it be so, if you wish 
it — we’ll talk the thing over another time. Come, come — let 
us get into the road, for you’ve had terror enough to make you 
wish yourself in your father’s house ag’in.” 

This was uttered as they were proceeding, at a pace that was 
adapted to the weakness of Louisa, towards the highway : on 
reaching which the ladies separated from their guide, declaring 
themselves equal to the remainder of the walk without his assist- 
ance, and feeling encouraged by the sight of the village which 
lay beneath their feet like a picture, with its limpid lake in front, 
the winding stream along its margin, and its hundred chimneys 
of whitened bricks. 

The reader need not be told the nature of the emotions which 
two youthful, ingenuous, and well educated girls would experi- 
ence at their escape from a death so horrid as the one which 
had impended over them, while they pursued their way in 
silence along the track on the side of the mountain ; nor how 
deep were their mental thanks to that Power which had given 
them their existence, and which had not deserted them in their 


342 


THE PIONEERS. 


extremity ; neither how often they pressed each other’s arms, 
as the assurance of their present safety came, like a healing 
balm athwart their troubled spirits, when their thoughts were 
recurring to the recent moments of horror. 

Leather-stocking remained on the hill, gazing after their retir- 
ing figures, until they were hidden by a bend in the road, when 
he whistled in his dogs, and shouldering his rifle, he returned 
into the forest. 

“ Well, it was a skeary thing to the young creaters,” said 
Natty, while he retrod the path towards the plain. “ It might 
frighten an older woman, to see a she painter so near her, with 
a dead cub by its sidd. I wonder if I had aimed at the 
varmint’s eye, if I shouldn’t have touched the life sooner than 
in the forehead ; but they are hard-lived animals, and it was a 
good shot, consid’ring that I could see nothing but the head 
and the peak of its tail. Hah ! who goes there ?” 

“How goes it, Natty ?” said Mr. Doolittle, stepping out of the 
bushes, with a motion that was a good deal accelerated by the 
sight of the rifle, that was already lowered in his direction. 
“ What ! shooting this warm day ! mind, old man, the law 
don’t get hold on you.” 

“ The law, squire ! I have shook hands with the law these 
forty year,” returned Natty ; “ for what has a man who lives in 
the wilderness to do with the ways of the law ?” 

“ Not much, may be,” said Hiram ; “ but you sometimes trade 
in venison. I s’pose you know, Leather-stocking, that there is 
an act passed to lay a fine of five pounds currency, or twelve 
dollars and fifty cents, by decimals, on every man who kills a 
deer betwixt January and August. The Judge had a great 
hand in getting the law through.” 

“ I can believe it,” returned the old hunter ; “ I can believe 
that or anything, of a man who carries on as he does in the 
country.” 

“ Yes, the law is quite positive, and the Judge is bent on 
putting it in force — five pounds penalty. I thought I heard 


THE PIONEEKS. 


343 


your hounds out on the scent of so’thing this morning : I didn’t 
know but they might get you in difficulty.” 

“ They know their manners too well,” said Natty, carelessly. 
“ And how much goes to the state’s evidence, squire ?” 

“ How much !” repeated Hiram, quailing under the honest 
but sharp look of the hunter : — “ the informer gets half I — I 
believe ; — yes, I guess it’s half. But there’s blood on your 
sleeve, man — you haven’t been shooting anything this morn- 
ing?” 

“ I have, though,” said the hunter, nodding his head signifi- 
cantly to the other, “ and a good shot I made of it.” 

“ H-e-m !” ejaculated the magistrate ; “ and where is the 
game ? I s’pose it’s of a good nater, for your dogs won’t hunt 
at anything that isn’t choice.” 

“ They’ll hunt anything I tell them to, squire,” cried Natty, 
favoring the other with his laugh. “ They’ll hunt you, if I say 
so. He-e-e-re, he-e-e-re, Hector — he-e-e-re, slut — come this 
away, pups — come this away — come hither.” 

“ Oh ! I have always heard a good character of the dogs,” 
returned Mr. Doolittle, quickening his pace by raising each leg 
in rapid succession, as the hounds scented around his person. 
“ And where is the game, Leather-stocking ?” 

During this dialogue, the speakers had been walking at a 
very fast gait, and Natty swung the end of his rifle round, 
pointing through the bushes, and replied — 

“ There lies one. How do you like such meat ?” 

“ This !” exclaimed Hiram ; “ why this is Judge Temple’s dog 
Brave. Take care, Leather Stocking, and don’t make an enemy 
of the Judge. I hope you haven’t harmed the animal ?” 

“Look for yourself, Mr. Doolittle,” said Natty, drawing his 
knife from his girdle, and wiping it, in a knowing manner, once 
or twice across his garment of buckskin ; “ does his throat look 
as. if I had cut it with this knife ?” 

“ It is dreadfully torn ! it’s an awful wound — no knife never 
did this deed. Who could have done it ?” 

“ The painters behind you, squire.” 


344 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ Painters !” echoed Hiram, whirling on his heel with an 
agility that would have done credit to a dancing-master. 

“Be easy, man,” said Natty; “there’s two of the venomous 
things; but the dog finished one, and I have fastened the 
other’s jaws for her ; so don’t be frightened, squire, they won’t 
hurt you.” 

“And where’s the deer?” cried Hiram, staring about him 
with a bewildered air. 

“ Anan ! deer !” repeated Natty. 

“ Sartain, an’t there venison here, or didn’t you kill a buck ?” 

“ What ! when the law forbids the thing, squire !” said the 
old hunter. “ I hope there’s no law ag’in killing the painters.” 

“ No ; there’s a bounty on the scalps — but — will your dogs 
hunt painters, Natty ?” 

“ Anything ; didn’t I tell you they’d hunt a man ? He-e-re, 
he- e-re, pups ” 

“ Yes, yes, I remember. Well, they are strange dogs, I must 
say — I am quite in a wonderment.” 

Natty had seated himself on the ground, and having laid 
the grim head of his late ferocious enemy in his lap, was drawing 
his knife with a practised hand around the ears, which he tore 
from the head of the beast in such a manner as to preserve 
their connexion, when he answered — 

“ What at, squire ? did you never see a painter’s scalp afore ? 
Come, you are a magistrate, I wish you’d make me out an 
order for the bounty.” 

“ The bounty !” repeated Hiram, holding the ears on the end 
of his finger, for a moment, as if uncertain how to proceed. 
“ Well, let us go down to your hut, where you can take the oath, 
and I will write out the order. I suppose you have a Bible ? 
all the law wants is the four evangelists and the Lord’s 
prayer.” 

“ I keep no books,” said Natty a little coldly : “not such a 
Bible as the law needs.” 

“ Oh ! there’s but one sort of Bible that’s good in law,” 
returned the magistrate : “ and yourn will do as well as 


THE PIONEERS. 


345 


another’s. Come, the carcases are worth nothing*, man ; let us 
go down and take the oath.” 

“ Softly, softly, squire,” said the hunter, lifting his trophies 
very deliberately from the ground, and shouldering his rifle; 
“ why do you want an oath at all, for a thing that your own 
eyes has seen ? won’t you believe yourself, that another man 
must swear to a fact that you know to be true ? You have 
seen me scalp the creaters, and if I must swear to it, it shall be 
before Judge Temple, who needs an oath.” 

“ But we have no pen or paper here, Leather-stocking ; we 
must go to the hut for them, or how can I write the order.” 

Natty turned his simple features on the cunning magistrate 
with another of his laughs, as he said — 

“ And what should I be doing with scholars’ tools ? I want 
no pens or paper, not knowing the use of either ; and I keep 
none. No, no, I’ll bring the scalps into the village, squire, and 
you can make out the order on one of your law-books, and it 
will be all the better for it. The deuce take this leather on the 
neck of the dog, it will strangle the old fool. Can you lend me 
a knife, squire ?” 

Hiram, who seemed particularly anxious to be on good terms 
with his companion, unhesitatingly complied. Natty cut the 
thong from the neck of the hound, and, as he returned the 
knife to its owner, carelessly remarked — 

“ ’Tis a good bit of steel, and has cut such leather as this very 
same, before now, I dare say.” 

“ Do you mean to charge me with letting your hounds loose ?” 
exclaimed Hiram, with a consciousness that disarmed his caution. 

“ Loose !” repeated the hunter — “ I let them loose myself. 
I always let them loose before I leave the hut.” 

The ungovernable amazement with which Mr. Doolittle listened 
to this falsehood, would have betrayed his agency in the libera- 
tion of the dogs, had Natty wanted any further confirmation ; 
and the coolness and management of the old man now disap- 
peared in open indignation. 

“ Look you here, Mr. Doolittle,” he said, striking the breech 
. 15 * 


340 


TIIE PIONEERS. 


of his rifle violently on the ground ; “ what there is in the wig- 
wam of a poor man like me, that one like you can crave, I* don’t 
know ; but this I tell you to your face, that you never shall put 
foot under the roof of my cabin with my consent, and that if 
you harbor round the spot as you have done lately, you may 
meet with treatment that you will little relish.” 

“ And let me tell you, Mr. Bumppo,” said Hiram, retreating, 
however, with a quick step, “ that I know you’ve broke the law, 
and that I’m a magistrate, and will make you feel it too, before 
you are a day older.” 

“ That for you and your law too,” cried Natty, snapping his 
fingers at the justice of the peace : — “ away with you, you 
varmint, before the devil tempts me to give you your desarts. 
Take care, if I ever catch your prowling face in the woods 
ag’in, that I don’t shoot it for an owl.” 

There is something at all times commanding in honest indig- 
nation, and Hiram did not stay to provoke the wrath of the old 
hunter to extremities. When the intruder was out of sight, 
Natty proceeded to the hut, where he found all quiet as the 
grave. He fastened his dogs, and tapping at the door, which 
was opened by Edwards, asked — 

“ Is all safe, lad !” 

“ Everything,” returned the youth. “ Some one attempted 
the lock, but it was too strong for him.” 

“ I know the creater,” said Natty, “ but he’ll not trust himself 

within reach of my rifle very soon ” What more was 

uttered by the Leather-stocking, in his vexation, was rendered 
inaudible by the closing of the door of the cabin. 


THE PIONEERS. 


347 


CHAPTER XXIX. 


It is noised, he hath a mass of treasure. 

Timon op A tiieks. 


When Marmaduke Temple and his cousin rode through 
the gate of the former, the heart of the father had been too 
recently touched with the best feelings of our nature, to leave 
inclination for immediate discourse. There was an importance 
in the air of Richard, which would not have admitted of the 
ordinary informal conversation of the Sheriff, without violating 
all the rules of consistency ; and the equestrians pursued their 
way with great diligence, for more than a mile, in profound 
silence. At length the soft expression of parental affection was 
slowly chased from the handsome features of the Judge, and 
was gradually supplanted by the cast of humor and benevolence 
that was usually seated on his brow. 

“ Well, Dickon,” he said, “ since I have yielded myself so far 
implicitly to your guidance, I think the moment has arrived 
when I am entitled to further confidence. Why and wherefore 
are we journeying together in this solemn gait ?” 

The Sheriff gave a loud hem, that rang far in the forest, and 
keeping his eyes fixed on objects before him, like a man who is 
looking deep into futurity — 

“ There has always been one point of difference between us, 
Judge Temple, I may say, since our nativity,” he replied ; “ not 
that I would insinuate that you are at all answerable for the 
acts of nature ; for a man is no more to be condemned for the 
misfortunes of his birth, than he is to be commended for the 
natural advantages he may possess ; but on one point we may 
bo said to have differed from our births, and they, you know, 
occurred within two days of each other.” 


348 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ I really marvel, Richard, what this one point can be ; for, to 
my eyes, we seem to differ so materially, and so often ” 

“Mere consequences, sir,” interrupted the Sheriff; “ all our 
minor differences proceed from one cause, and that is, our 
opinions of the universal attainments of genius.” 

“ In what, Dickon ?” 

“I speak plain English, I believe, Judge Temple ; at least I 
aught ; for my father, who taught me, could speak ” 

“ Greek and Latin,” interrupted Marmaduke. “ I well know 
the qualifications of your family in tongues, Dickon. But 
proceed to the point ; why are we travelling over this mountain 
to-day ?” 

“To do justice to any subject, sir, the narrator must be 
suffered to proceed in his own way,” continued the Sheriff. 
“You are of opinion, Judge Temple, that a man is to be quali- 
fied by nature and education to do only one thing well, whereas 
I know that genius will supply the place of learning, and that a 
certain sort of man can do anything and everything.” 

“ Like yourself, I suppose,” said Marmaduke, smiling. 

“ I scorn personalities, sir, I say nothing of myself ; but there 
are three men on your Patent, of the kind that I should term 
talented by nature for her general purposes, though acting 
under the influence of different situations.” 

“ We are better off, then, than I had supposed. Who are 
these triumviri ?” 

“ Why, sir, one is Hiram Doolittle ; a carpenter by trade, as 
you know, — and I need only point to the village to exhibit his 
merits. Then he is a magistrate, and might shame many a 
man, in his distribution of justice, who has had better oppor- 
tunities.” 

“Well, he is one,” said Marmaduke, with the air of a man 
that was determined not to dispute the point. 

“ Jotham Riddel is another.” 

“Who?” 

“ Jotham Riddel.” 

“What* that dissatisfied, shiftless, lazy, speculating fellow! 


THE PIONEERS. 


349 


he who changes his county every three years, his farm every 
six months, and his occupation every season ! an agriculturist 
yesterday, a shoemaker to-day, and a schoolmaster to-morrow ? 
that epitome of all the unsteady and profitless propensities of 
the settlers without one of their good qualities to counterbalance 

the evil ! Nay, Richard, this is too bad for even -but the 

third ?” 

“ As the third is not used to hearing such comments on his 
character, Judge Temple, I shall not name him.” 

“ The amount of all this, then, Dickon, is, that the trio, of 
which you are one, and the principal, have made some import- 
ant discovery.” 

“ I have not said that I am one, Judge Temple. As I told 
you before, I say nothing egotistical. But a discovery has been 
made, and you are deeply interested in it.” 

“ Proceed — I am all ears.” 

“ No, no, ’duke, you are bad enough, I own, but not so bad 
as that either : your ears are not quite full grown.” 

The Sheriff laughed heartily at his own wit, and put himself 
in good humor thereby, when he gratified his patient cousin 
with the following explanation : — 

“You know, ’duke, there is a man living on your estate that 
goes by the name of Natty Bumppo. Here has this man lived, 
by what I can learn, for more than forty years — by himself, 
until lately ; and now with strange companions.” 

“ Part very true, and all very probable,” said the Judge. 

“ All true, sir ; all true. Well, within these last few months 
have appeared as his companions, an old Indian chief, the last, 
or one of the last of his tribe that is to be found in this part of 
the country, and a young man, who is said to be the son of 
some Indian agent, by a squaw.” 

“ Who says that ?” cried Marmaduke, with an interest that 
l:e had not manifested before. 

“ Who ? why common sense — common report — the hue and 
cry. But listen till you know all. This youth has very pretty 
talents — yes, what I call very pretty talents— and has been well 


350 


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educated, has seen very tolerable company, and knows how to 
behave himself, when he has a mind to. Now, Judge Temple, 
can you tell me what has brought three such men as Indian 
John, Natty Bumppo, and Oliver Edwards together ?” 

Marmaduke turned his countenance, in evident surprise, to his 
cousin, and replied quickly — 

“ Thou hast unexpectedly hit on a subject, Richard, that has 
often occupied my mind. But knowest thou anything of this 

mystery, or are they only the crude conjectures of ■” 

“ Crude nothing, ’duke, crude nothing ; but facts, stubborn 
facts. You know there are mines in these mountains ; I have 
often heard you say that you believed in their existence.” 

“ Reasoning from analogy, Richard, but not with any certainty 
of the fact.” 

“ You have heard them mentioned, and have seen specimens 
of the ore, sir ; you will not deny that ! and, reasoning from 
analogy, as you say, if there be mines in South America, ought 
there not to be mines in North America too f” 

“Nay, nay, I deny nothing, my cousin. I certainly have 
heard many rumors of the existence of mines in these hills ; 
and I do believe that I have seen specimens of the precious 
metals that have been found here. It would occasion me no 
surprise to learn that tin and silver, or what I consider of 

more consequence, good coal ” 

“ Damn your coal,” cried the Sheriff ; “ who wants to find 
coal in these forests ? No, no, silver, ’duke ; silver is the one 
thing needful, and silver is to be found. But listen : you are 
not to be told that the natives have long known the use of gold 
and silver ; now who so likely to be acquainted where they 
are to be found, as the ancient inhabitants of a country ? I 
have the best reasons for believing that both Mohegan and the 
Leather-stocking have been privy to the existence of a mine in 
this very mountain, for many years.” 

The Sheriff had now touched his cousin in a sensitive spot ; 
and Marmad uke lent a more attentive ear to the speaker, who. 


THE PIONEERS. 


351 


after waiting a moment, to see the effect of this extraordinary 
development, proceeded — 

“ Yes, sir, I have my reasons, and at a proper time you shall 
know them.” 

“ No time is so good as the present.” 

“ Well, well, be attentive,” continued Richard, looking cau- 
tiously about him, to make certain that no eavesdropper was 
hid in the forest, though they were in constant motion. “I 
have seen Mohegan and the Leather-stocking, with my own 
eyes — and my eyes are as good as anybody’s eyes — I have 
seen them, I say, both going up the mountain and coming 
down it ; with spades and picks ; and others have seen them 
carrying things into their hut, in a secret and mysterious 
manner, after dark. Do you call this a fact of importance ? ” 

The Judge did not reply, but his brow had contracted, with 
a thoughtfulness that he always wore when much interested, 
and his eyes rested on his cousin in expectation of hearing 
more. Richard continued — 

“ It was ore. Now, sir, I ask if you can tell me who this 
Mr. Oliver Edwards is, that has made a part of your household 
since Christmas ? ” 

Marmaduke again raised his eyes, but continued silent, shak- 
ing his head in the negative. 

“ That he is a half-breed we know, for Mohegan does not 
scruple to call him openly his kinsman ; that he is well edu- 
cated we know. But as to his business here — do you remem- 
ber that about a month before this young man made his 
appearance among us, Natty was absent from home several 
days? You do; for you inquired for him, as you wanted 
some venison to take to your friends, when you went for Bess. 
Well, he was not to be found. Old John was left in the hut 
alone ; and when Natty did appear, although he came on in 
the night, he was seen drawing one of those jumpers that they 
carry their grain to mill in, and to take out something with 
great care, that he had covered up under his bear-skins. Now 
let me ask you, Judge Temple, what motive could induce a 


352 


THE PIONEERS. 


man like the Leather-stocking to make a sled, and toil with a 
load over these mountains, if he had nothing hut his rifle or 
his ammunition to carry ? ” 

“ They frequently make these jumpers to convey their game 
home, and you say he had been absent many days.” 

“ How did he kill it ? His rifle was in the village, to bo 
mended. No, no — that he was gone to some unusual place is 
certain ; that he brought back some secret utensils is more cer- 
tain ; and that he has not allowed a soul to approach his hut 
since, is most certain of all.” 

“ He was never fond of intruders ” 

“ I know it,” interrupted Richard ; “ but did he drive them 
from his cabin morosely ? Within a fortnight of his return, 
this Mr. Edwards appears. They spend whole days in the 
mountains, pretending to be shooting, but in reality exploring ; 
the frosts prevent their digging at that time, and he avails 
himself of a lucky accident to get into good quarters. But even 
now, he is quite half of his time in that hut — many hours every 
night. They are smelting, ’duke, they are smelting, and as 
they grow rich, you grow poor.” 

“ How much of this is thine own, Richard, and how much 
comes from others ? I would sift the wheat from the chaff.” 

“ Part is my own, for I saw the jumper, though it was broken 
up and burnt in a day or two. I have told you that I saw the 
old man with his spades and picks. Hiram met Natty, as he 
was crossing the mountain, the night of his arrival with the 
sled, and very good-naturedly offered — Hiram is good-natured 
— to carry up part of his load, for the old man had a heavy 
pull up the back of the mountain, but he wouldn’t listen to the 
thing, and repulsed the offer in such a manner that the Squire 
said he had half a mind to swear the peace against him. Since 
the snow has been off, more especially after the frosts got out 
of the ground, we have kept a watchful eye on the gentleman, 
in which we have found Jotham useful.” 

Marmaduke did not much like the associates of Richard in 
this business ; still he knew them to be cunning and ready in 


THE PIONEERS. 


353 


expedients ; and as there was certainly something mysterious, 
not only in the connexion between the old hunters and Edwards, 
but in what his cousin had just related, he began to revolve the 
subject in his own mind with more care. On reflection, he 
remembered various circumstances that tended to corroborate 
these suspicions, and, as the whole business favored one of his 
infirmities, he yielded the more readily to their impression. The 
mind of Judge Temple, at all times comprehensive, had received, 
from his peculiar occupations, a bias to look far into futurity, 
in his speculations on the improvements that posterity were to 
make in his lands. To his eye, where others saw nothing but 
a wilderness, towns, manufactories, bridges, canals, mines, and 
all the other resources of an old country, were constantly pre- 
senting themselves, though his good sense suppressed, in some 
degree, the exhibition of these expectations. 

As the Sheriff allowed his cousin full time to reflect on what 
he had heard, the probability of some pecuniary adventure being 
the connecting link in the chain that brought Oliver Edwards 
into the cabin of Leather-stocking, appeared to him each 
moment to be stronger. But Marmaduke was too much in 
the habit of examining both sides of a subject, not to perceive 
the objections, and he reasoned with himself aloud : — 

“ It cannot be so, or the youth would not be driven so near 
the verge of poverty.” 

“ What so likely to make a man dig for money, as being 
poor ? ” cried the Sheriff. 

“ Besides, there is an elevation of character about Oliver, that 
proceeds from education, which would forbid so clandestine a 
proceeding.” 

“ Could an ignorant fellow smelt ? ” continued Richard. 

“ Bess hints that he was reduced even to his last shilling, 
when we took him into our dwelling.” 

“ He had been buying tools. And would he spend his last 
sixpence for a shot at a turkey, had he not known where to get 
more ? ” 

“ Can I have possibly been so long a dupe ! Ilis manner 


354 


THE PIONEERS. 


has been rude to me at times ; but I attributed it to his con- 
ceiving himself injured, and to his mistaking the forms of the 
world.” 

“ Haven’t you been a dupe all your life, ’duke ? and an’t 
what you call ignorance of forms deep cunning, to conceal his 
real character ?” 

“ If he were bent on deception, he would have concealed his 
knowledge, and passed with us for an inferior man.” 

“ He cannot. I could no more pass for a fool, myself, than I 
could fly. Knowledge is not to be concealed, like a candle 
under a bushel.” 

“Richard,” said the Judge, turning to his cousin, “ there are 
many reasons against the truth of thy conjectures ; but thou 
hast awakened suspicions which must be satisfied. But why are 
we travelling here ?” 

“Jotham, who has been much in the mountain latterly, being 
kept there by me and Hiram, has made a discovery, which he 
•will not explain, he says, for he is bound by an oath ; but the 
amount is, that he knows where the ore lies, and he has this 
day begun to dig. I would not consent to the thing, ’duke, 
without your knowledge, for the land is yours ; and now you 
know the reason of our ride. T call this a countermine, ha !” 

“And where is the desirable spot?” asked the Judge, with 
an air half comical, half serious. 

“ At hand ; and when we have visited that, I will show you 
one of the places that we have found within a week, where our 
hunters have been amusing themselves for s'x months past.” 

The gentlemen continued to discuss the matter, while their 
horses picked their way under the branches of trees, and over 
the uneven ground of the mountain. They soon arrived at 
the end of their journey, where, in truth, they found Jotham 
already buried to his neck in a hole that he had been digging. 

Marmaduke questioned the miner very closely, as to his 
reasons for believing in the existence of the precious metals near 
that particular spot; but the fellow maintained an obstinate 
mystery in his answers. He asserted that he had the best of 


THE PIONEERS. 


355 


reasons for what he did, and inquired of the Judge what 
portion of the profits would fall to his own share, in the event 
of success, with an earnestness that proved his faith. After 
spending an hour near the place, examining the stones, and 
searching for the usual indications of the proximity of ore, the 
Judge remounted, and suffered his cousin to lead the way to 
the place where the mysterious trio had been making their 
excavation. 

The spot chosen by Jotham was on the back of the mountain 
that overhung the hut of Leather-stocking, and the place 
selected by Natty and his companions was on the other side of 
the same hill, but above the road, and, of course, in an opposite 
direction to the route taken by the ladies in their walk. 

“ We shall be safe in approaching the place now,” said 
Richard, while they dismounted and fastened their horses; 
“ for I took a look with the glass, and saw John and Leather- 
stocking, in their canoe fishing, before we left home, and Oliver 
is in the same pursuit ; but these may be nothing but shams, 
to blind our eyes, so we will be expeditious, for it would not 
be pleasant to be caught here by them.” 

“ Not on my own land !” said Marmaduke sternly. “ If it be 
as you suspect, I will know their reasons for making this exca- 
vation.” 

“ Mum,” said Richard, laying a finger on his lip, and leading 
the way down a very difficult descent to a sort of natural 
cavern, which was found in the face of the rock, and was not 
unlike a fire-place in shape. In front of this place lay a pile of 
earth, which had evidently been taken from the recess, and 
part of which was yet fresh. An examination of the exterior of 
the cavern left the Judge in doubt whether it was one of 
nature’s frolics that had thrown it into that shape, or whether 
it had been wrought by the hands of man, at some earlier 
period. But there could be no doubt that the whole of the 
interior was of recent formation, and the marks of the pick were 
still visible, where the soft, lead-colored rock had opposed itself 
to the progress of the miners. The whole formed an excava- 


356 


THE PIONEERS. 


tion of about twenty feet in width, and nearly twice that dis- 
tance in depth. The height was much greater than was 
required for the ordinary purposes of experiment ; but this was 
evidently the effect of chance, as the roof of the cavern was a 
natural stratum of rock, that projected many feet beyond the 
base of the pile. Immediately in front of the recess, or cave, 
was a little terrace, partly formed by nature, and partly by the 
earth that had been carelessly thrown aside by the laborers. 
The mountain fell off precipitously in front of the terrace, and 
the approach by its sides, under the ridge of the rocks, was dif- 
ficult and a little dangerous. The whole was wild, rude, and 
apparently incomplete : for, while looking among the bushes, 
the Sheriff found the very implements that had been used in 
the work. 

When the Sheriff thought that his cousin had examined the 
spot sufficiently, he asked solemnly — 

“ Judge Temple, are you satisfied ?” 

“ Perfectly, that there is something mysterious and perplex- 
ing in this business. It is a secret spot, and cunningly devised, 
Richard ; yet I see no symptoms of ore.” 

“ Do you expect, sir, to find gold and silver lying like pebbles 
on the surface of the earth ? — dollars and dimes ready coined 
to your hands ! No, no — the treasure must be sought after to 
be won. But let them mine ; I shall countermine.” 

The Judge took an accurate survey of the place, and noted 
in his memorandum book such marks as were necessary to find 
it again, in the event of Richard’s absence $ when the cousins 
returned to their horses. 

On reaching the highway they separated, the Sheriff to 
summon twenty-four “ good men and true,” to attend as the 
inquest of the county, on the succeeding Monday, when Mar- 
maduke held his stated court of “ common pleas and general 
sessions of the peace,” and the Judge to return, musing deeply 
on what he had seen and heard in the course of the morning 

When the horse of the latter reached the spot where the 
highway fell towards the valley, the eye of Marmaduke rested, 


THE PIONEERS. 


357 


it is true, on the same scene that had, ten minutes before, been 
so soothing to the feelings of his daughter and her friend, as 
they emerged from the forest ; but it rested in vacancy. He 
threw the reins to his sure-footed beast, and suffered the animal 
to travel at its own gait, while he soliloquized as follows 

“ There may be more in this than I at first supposed. I 
have suffered my feeling to blind my reason, in admitting an 
unknown youth in this manner to my dwelling; yet this is 
not the land of suspicion. I will have the Leather-stocking 
before me, and, by a few direct questions, extract the truth 
from the simple old man.” 

At that instant the Judge caught a glimpse of the figures of 
Elizabeth and Louisa, who were slowly descending the mountain, 
a short distance before him. He put spurs to his horse, and 
riding up to them, dismounted, and drove his steed along the 
narrow path. While the agitated parent was listening to the 
vivid description that his daughter gave of her recent danger, 
and her unexpected escape, all thoughts of mines, vested rights, 
and examinations, were absorbed in emotion ; and when the 
image of Natty again crossed his recollection, it was not as a 
lawless and depredating squatter, but as the preserver of his 
child. • 


358 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER XXX. 

The court awards it, and the law doth give it. 

Merchant op Venice. 

Remarkable Pettibone, who had forgotten the wound 
received by her pride, in contemplation of the ease and com- 
forts of her situation, and who still retained her station in the 
family of Judge Temple, was despatched to the humble dwell- 
ing which Richard already styled “ The Rectory,” in attendance 
on Louisa, who was soon consigned to the arms of her father. 

In the meantime, Marmaduke and his daughter were closeted 
for more than an hour, nor shall we invade the sanctuary of 
parental love, by relating the conversation. When the curtain 
rises on the reader, the Judge is seen walking up and down the 
apartment, with a tender melancholy in his air, and his child 
reclining on a settee, with a flushed cheek, and her dark eyes 
seeming to float in'crystals. 

“ It was a timely rescue ! it was, indeed, a timely rescue, my 
child!” cried the Judge. “Then thou didst not desert thy 
friend, my noble Bess ?” 

“ I believe I may as well take the credit of fortitude,” said 
Elizabeth, “ though I much doubt if flight would have availed 
me anything, had I even courage to execute such an intention. 
But I thought not of the expedient.” 

“ Of what didst thou think, love ? where did thy thoughts 
dwell most, at that fearful moment ?” 

“ The beast ! the beast !” cried Elizabeth, veiling her face 
with her hand : “ Oh ! I saw nothing, I thought of nothing but 
the beast. I tried to think of better things, but the horror was 
too glaring, the danger too much before my eyes.” 

“ Well, well, thou art safe, and we will converse no more on 


THE PIONEERS. 


359 


the unpleasant subject. I did not think such an animal yet 
remained in our forests ; but they will stray far from their haunts 
when pressed by hunger, and ” 

A loud knocking at the door of the apartment interrupted 
what he was about to utter, and he bid the applicant enter. 
The door was opened by Benjamin, who came in with a dis- 
contented air, as if he felt that he had a communication to 
make that would be out of season. 

“ Here is Squire Doolittle below, sir,” commenced the major- 
domo. “ He has been standing off and on in the door-yard, for 
the matter of a glass ; and he has sum’mat on his mind that he 
wants to heave up, d’ye see; but I tells him, says I, man, 
would you be coming aboard with your complaints, said I, 
when the judge has gotten his own child, as it were, out of the 
jaws of a lion ? But damn the bit of manners has the fellow, 
any more than if he was one of them Guineas down in the 
kitchen there ; and so as he was sheering nearer, every stretch 
he made towards the house, I could do no better than to let 
your honor know that the chap was in the offing.” 

“ He must have business of importance,” said Marmaduke ; 
“ something in relation to his office, most probably, as the 
court sits so shortly.” 

“ Ay, ay, you have it, sir,” cried Benjamin, “ it’s sum’mat 
about a complaint that he has to make of the old Leather- 
stocking, who, to my judgment, is the better man of the two. 
It’s a very good sort of a man is this Master Bumppo, and he 
has a way with a spear, all the same as if he was brought up 
at the bow oar of the captain’s barge, or was born with a boat- 
hook in his hand.” 

“Against the Leather-stopking !” cried Elizabeth, rising from 
her reclining posture. 

“ Rest easy, jny child ; some trifle, I pledge you ; I believe 
I am already acquainted with its import. Trust me, Bess, 
your champion shall be safe in my care. Show Mr. Doolittle 
in, Benjamin.” 

Miss Temple appeared satisfied with this assurance, but 


THE PIONEERS. 


360 

fastened her dark eyes on the person of the architect, who pro- 
fited by the permission, and instantly made his appearance. 

All the impatience of Hiram seemed to vanish the instant 
he entered the apartment. After saluting the J udge and his 
daughter, he took the chair to which Marmaduke pointed, and 
sat for a minute, composing his straight black hair, with a 
gravity of demeanor that was intended to do honor to his 
official station. At length he said — 

“ It’s likely, from what I hear, that Miss Temple had a 
pretty narrow chance with the painters, on the mountain.” 

Marmaduke made a gentle inclination of his head, by way 
of assent, but continued silent. 

“ I s’pose the law gives a bounty on the scalps,” continued 
Hiram, “ in which case the Leather-stocking will make a good 
job on’t.” 

“ It shall be my care to see that he is rewarded,” returned 
the Judge. 

“Yes, yes, I rather guess that nobody hereabouts doubts 
the Judge’s generosity. Does he know whether the Sheriff 
has fairly made up his mind to have a reading-desk or a 
deacon’s pew under the pulpit ?” 

“ I have not heard my cousin speak on that subject, lately,” 
replied Marmaduke. 

“ I think it’s likely that we will have a pretty dull court 
on’t, from what I can gather. I hear that Jotham Riddel 
and the man who bought his betterments, have agreed to 
leave their difference to men, and I don’t think there’ll be 
more than two civil cases in the calendar.” 

“I am glad of it,” said the Judge; “nothing gives me 
more pain than to see my settlers wasting their time and 
substance in the unprofitable struggles of the law. I hope 
it may prove true, sir.” 

“ I rather guess ’twill be left out to men,” added Hiram, 
with an air equally balanced between doubt and assurance, but 
which Judge Temple understood to mean certainty; “ I some 
think that I am appointed a referee in the case myself; 


THE PIONEERS. 


00 1 

Jotliam as much as told me that he should take me. The 
defendant, I guess, means to take Captain Hollister, and we 
two have partly agreed on Squire Jones for the third man.” 

“ A.re there any criminals to be tried ?” asked Marmaduke. 

“ There’s the counterfeiters,” returned the magistrate ; “ as 
they were caught in the fact, I think it likely that they’ll be 
indicted, in which case it’s probable they’ll be tried.” 

“ Certainly, sir, I had forgotten those men. There are no 
moie, I hope.” 

“ Why, there is a threaten to come forrad with an assault, 
that happened at the last independence day ; but I’m not 
sartain that the law’ll take hold on’t. There was plaguey 
hard words passed, but whether they struck or not 1 haven’t 
heard. There’s some folks talk of a deer or two being killed 
out of season, over on the west side of the Patent, by some of 
the squatters on the ‘ Fractions.’ ” 

“Let a complaint be made, by all means,” cried the Judge , 
“ I am determined to see the law executed to the letter, on all 
such depredators.” 

“ Why, yes, I thought the Judge was of that mind ; I come 
partly on such a business myself.” 

“ You !” exclaimed Marmaduke, comprehending in an in- 
stant how completely he had been caught by the other’s 
cunning ; “ and what have you to say, sir ?” 

“ I some think that Natty Bumppo has the carcase of a 
deer in his hut at this moment, and a considerable part of my 
business was to get a search-warrant to examine.” 

“ You think, sir ! do you know that the law exacts an oath, 
before I can issue such a precept ? The habitation of a citizen 
is no f to be idly invaded on light suspicion.” 

“I rather think I can swear to it myself,” returned the im- 
movable Hiram ; “ and Jotham is in the street, and as good as 
ready to come in and make oath to the same thing.” 

“ Then issue the warrant thyself ; thou art a magistrate, Mr. 
Doolittle ; why trouble me with the matter ?” 

“ Why, seeing it’s the first complaint under the law, and 
10 


3G2 


THE PIONEERS. 


knowing the Judge set his heart on the thing, I thought it best 
that the authority to search should come from himself. Be- 
sides, as I’m much in the woods, among the timber, I don’t 
altogether like making an enemy of the Leather-stocking. 
Now the Judge has a weight in the county that puts him 
above fear.” 

Miss Temple turned her face to the callous architect, as she 
said — 

“ And what has any honest person to dread from so kind a 
man as Bumppo ?” 

“Why, it’s as easy, Miss, to pull a rifle-trigger on a magis- 
trate as on a painter. But if the Judge don’t conclude to 
issue the warrant, I must go home and make it out myself.” 

“ I have not refused your application, sir,” said Marmaduke, 
perceiving at once that his reputation for impartiality was at 
stake ; “ go into my office, Mr. Doolittle, where I will join you, 
and sign the warrant.” 

Judge Temple stopped the remonstrances which Elizabeth 
was about to utter, after Hiram had withdrawn, by laying his 
hand on her mouth, and saying — 

“ It is more terrific in sound than frightful in reality, my 
child. I suppose that the Leather-stocking has shot a deer, 
for the season is nearly over, and you say that he was hunting 
with his dogs when he came so timely to your assistance. But 
it will be only to examine his cabin, and find the animal, when 
you can pay the penalty out of your own pocket, Bess. 
Nothing short of the twelve dollars and a half will satisfy this 
harpy, I perceive; and surely my reputation as a Judge is 
worth that trifle.” 

Elizabeth was a good deal pacified with this assurance, 
and suffered her father to leave her, to fulfil his promise to 
Hiram. 

When Marmaduke left his office after executing his disagree- 
able duty, he met Oliver Edwards, walking up the gravelled 
walk in front of the Mansion-house, with great strides, and with 
a face agitated by feeling. On seeing Judge Temple, the 


THE PIONEERS. 


363 


youth turned aside, and with a warmth in his manner that 
was not often exhibited to Marmaduke, he cried — 

“I congratulate you, sir; from the bottom of my soul I 
congratulate you, Judge Temple. Oh! it would have been 
too horrid to have recollected for a moment ! I have just 
left the hut, where, after showing me his scalps, old Natty told 
me of the escape of the ladies, as a thing to be mentioned 
last. Indeed, indeed, sir, no words of mine can express half of 
what I have felt ” — the youth paused a moment, as if suddenly 
recollecting that he was overstepping prescribed limits, and 
concluded with a good deal of embarrassment — “ what I have 
felt at this danger to Miss — Grant, and — and your daughter, 
sir.” 

But the heart of Marmaduke was too much softened to 
admit of his cavilling at trifles, and without regarding the con- 
fusion of the other, he replied — 

“ I thank thee, thank thee, Oliver ; as thou sayest, it is 
almost too horrid to be remembered. But come, let us hasten 
to Bess, for Louisa has already gone to the Rectory.” 

The young man sprang forward, and throwing open a door, 
barely permitted the Judge to precede him, when he was in 
the presence of Elizabeth in a moment. 

The cold distance that often crossed the demeanor of the 
heiress, in her intercourse with Edwards, was now entirely 
banished, and two hours were passed by the party, in the free, 
unembarrassed, and confiding manner of old and esteemed 
friends. Judge* Temple had forgotten the suspicions engendered 
during his morning’s ride, and the youth and maiden conversed, 
laughed, and were sad by turns, as impulse directed. At 
length Edwards, after repeating his intention to do so for the 
third time, left the Mansion-house to go to the rectory on a 
similar errand of friendship. 

During this short period, a scene was passing at the hut that 
completely frustrated the benevolent intentions of Judge Temple 
in favor of the Leather-stocking, and at once destroyed the 
short-lived harmony between the youth and Marmaduke. 


364 


THE PIONEERS. 


When Hiram Doolittle had obtained his search-warrant, his 
first business was to procure a proper officer to see it executed. 
The sheriff was absent, summoning in person the grand inquest 
for the county ; the deputy, who resided in the village, was 
riding on the same errand, in a different part of the settlement ; 
and the regular constable of the township had been selected for 
his station from motives of charity, being lame of a leg. 
Hiram intended to accompany the officer as a spectator, but he 
felt no very strong desire to bear the brunt of the battle. It 
was, however, Saturday, and the sun was already turning the 
shadows of the pines towards the east ; on the morrow the con- 
scientious magistrate could not engage in such an expedition at 
the peril of his soul ; and long before Monday, the venison, and 
all vestiges of the death of the deer, might be secreted or 
destroyed. Happily, the lounging form of Billy Kirby met his 
eye, and Hiram, at all times fruitful in similar expedients, saw 
his way clear at once. Jotham, who was associated in the 
whole business, and who had left the mountain in consequence 
of a summons from his coadjutor, but who failed, equally with 
Hiram, in the unfortunate particular of nerve, was directed to 
summon the wood-chopper to the dwelling of the magistrate. 

When Billy appeared, he was very kindly invited to take the 
chair in which he had already seated himself, and was treated 
in all respects as if he were an equal. 

“Judge Temple has set his heart on putting the deer law in 
force,” said Hiram, after the preliminary civilities were over, 
“ and a complaint has been laid before him that a deer has 
been killed. He has issued a search-warrant, and sent for me 
to get somebody to execute it.” 

Kirby, who had no idea of being excluded from the delibera- 
tive part of any affair in which he was engaged, drew up his 
bushy head in a reflecting attitude, and, after musing a moment, 
replied by asking a few questions. 

“ The Sheriff is gone out of the way ?” 

“ Not to be found.” 

c ‘ And his deputy too 2” 


THE PIONEERS. 


3G5 


“ Both gone on the skirts of the Patent.” 

“But I saw the constable hobbling abcut town an hour 
ago.” 

“ Yes, yes,” said Hiram with a coaxing smile and knowing 
nod, “ but this business wants a man — not a cripple.” 

“ Wh}^,” said Billy, laughing, “ will the chap make fight ?” 

“ He’s a little quarrelsome at times, and thinks he’s the best 
man in the country at rough and tumble.” 

“ I heard him brag once,” said Jotham, “ that there wasn’t a 
man ’twixt the Mohawk Flats and the Pennsylvany line that 
was his match at a close hug.” 

“ JDid you ?” exclaimed Kirby, raising his huge frame in his 
seat, like a lion stretching in his lair ; “ I rather guess he never 
felt a Varmounter’s knuckles on his backbone. But who is the 
chap ?” 

“ Why,” said Jotham, “ it’s ” 

“ It’s ag’in law to tell,” interrupted Hiram, “ unless you’ll 
qualify to sarve. You’d be the very man to take him, Bill ; 
and I’ll make out a special deputation in a minute, when you 
will get the fees.” 

“ What’s the fees ?” said Kirby, laying his large hand on 
the leaves of a statute-book, that Hiram had opened in order 
to give dignity to his office, which he turned over, in his rough 
manner, as if he were reflecting on a subject about which he 
had, in truth, already decided ; “ will they pay a man for a 
broken head ?” 

“ They’ll be something handsome,” said Hiram. 

“ Damn the fees,” said Billy, again laughing : — “does the 
fellow think he’s the best wrestler in the county, though ? what’s 
his inches ?” 

“ He’s taller than you be,” said Jotham, “ and one of the 
biggest ” 

Talkers, he was about to add, but the impatience of Kirby 
interrupted him. The wood-chopper had nothing fierce or even 
brutal in his appearance ; the character of his expression was 
that of good-natured vanity. It was evident he prided himself 


366 


THE PIONEERS. 


on the powers of the physical man, like all who have nothing 
better to boast of ; and, stretching out his broad hand, with the 
palm downwards, he said, keeping his eyes fastened on his own 
bones and sinews — 

“ Come, give us a touch of the book. I’ll swear, and you’ll 
see that I’m a man to keep my oath.” 

Hiram did not give the wood-chopper time to change his 
mind, but the oath was administered without unnecessary delay. 
So soon as this preliminary was completed, the three worthies 
left the house, and proceeded by the nearest road towards the 
hut. They had reached the bank of the lake, and were diverg- 
ing from the route of the highway, before Kirby recollected that 
he was now entitled to the privilege of the initiated, and 
repeated his question as to the name of the offender. 

“Which way, which way, Squire?” exclaimed the hardy 
wood-chopper ; “ I thought it was to search a house that you 
wanted me, not the woods. There is nobody lives on this side 
of the lake, for six miles, unless you count the Leather-stocking 
and old John for settlers. Come, tell me the chap’s name, and 
I warrant me that I lead you to his clearing by a straighter 
path than this, for I know every sapling that grows' within two 
miles of Templetown.” 

“ This is the way,” said Hiram, pointing forward and quick- 
ening his step, as if apprehensive that Kirby would desert, 
“ and Bumppo is the man.” 

Kirby stopped short, and looked from one of his companions 
to the other in astonishment. He then burst into a loud 
laugh, and cried — 

“ Who ? Leather-stocking ! he may brag of his aim and his 
rifle, for he has the best of both, as I will own myself, for sin’ 
he shot the pigeon I knock under to him ; but for a wrestle ! 
why, I would take the creatur’ between my finger and thumb, 
and tie him in a bow-knot around my neck for aBarcelony. The 
man is seventy, and was never anything particular for strength.” 

“ He’s a deceiving man,” said Hiram, “ like all the hunters ; 
he is stronger than he seems ; besides, he has his rifle.” 


THE PIONEERS. 


367 


“ That for his rifle !” cried Billy : “ he’d no more hurt me 
with his rifle than he’d fly. He is a harmless creater, and 
I must say that I think he has as good right to kill deer as 
any man on the Patent. It’s his main support, and this is a 
free country, where a man is privileged to follow any calling he 
likes.” 

“ According to that doctrine,” said Jotham, “ anybody may 
shoot a deer.” 

“ This is the man’s calling, I tell you,” returned Kirby, “ and 
the law was never made for such as he.” 

“ The law was made for all,” observed Hiram, who began to 
think that the danger was likely to fall to his own share, not- 
withstanding his management ; “ and the law is particular in 
noticing parjury.” 

“ See here, Squire Doolittle,” said the reckless wood-chopper ; 
“ I don’t care the valie of a beetlering for you and your parjury 
too. But as I have come so far, IT1 go down and have a 
talk with the old man, and maybe we’ll fry a steak of the deer 
together.” 

“ Well, if you can get in peaceably, so much the better,” said 
the magistrate. “To my notion, strife is very unpopular; I 
prefar, at all times, clever conduct to an ugly temper.” 

As the whole party moved at a great pace, they soon reached 
the hut, where Hiram thought it prudent to halt on the outside 
of the top of the fallen pine, which formed a chevaux-de-frise, 
to defend the approach to the fortress, on the side next the 
village. The delay was little relished by Kirby, who clapped 
his hands to his mouth, and gave a loud halloo that brought 
the dogs out of their kennel and, almost at the same instant, 
the scantily covered head of Natty from the door. 

“ Lie down, old fool,” cried the hunter ; “ do you think there’s 
more painters about you ? ” 

“ Ha ! Leather-stocking, I’ve an arrand with you,” cried 
Kirby ; “ here’s the good people of the state have been writing 
you a small letter, and they’ve hired me to ride post.” 

“ What w r ould you have with me, Billy Kirby ? ” said Natty, 


368 


THE PIONEERS. 


stepping across his threshold, and raising his hand over his 
eyes to screen them from the rays of the setting sun, while he 
took a survey of his visitor. “ I’ve no land to clear ; and 
heaven knows I would set out six trees afore I would cut down 
one. Down, Hector, I say ; into your kennel with ye,” 

“ Would you, old boy ? ” roared Billy ; “ then so much the 
better for me. But I must do my arrand. Here’s a letter for 
you, Leather-stocking. If you can read it, it’s all well, and if 
you can’t, here’s Squire Doolittle at hand, to let you know what 
it means. It seems you mistook the twentieth of July for the 
first of August, that’s all.” 

By this time Natty had discovered the lank person of Hiram, 
drawn up under the cover of a high stump ; and all that was 
complacent in his manner instantly gave way to marked distrust 
and dissatisfaction. He placed his head within the door of his 
hut, and said a few words in an under tone, when he again 
appeared, and continued — 

“ I’ve nothing for ye ; so away, afore the evil one tempts me 
to do you harm. I owe you no spite, Billy Kirby, and what 
for should you trouble an old man, who has done you no 
harm ? ” 

Kirby advanced through the top of the pine, to within a few 
feet of the hunter, where he seated himself on the end of a lo<* 
with great composure, and began to examine the nose of Hec- 
tor, with whom he was familiar, from their frequently meeting 
in the woods, where he sometimes fed the dog from his own 
basket of provisions. 

“ You’ve outshot me, and I’m not ashamed to say it,” said 
the wood-chopper ; “ but I don’t owe you a grudge for that, 
Natty ! though it seems that you’ve shot once too often, for the 
story goes that you’ve killed a buck.” 

“ I’ve fired but twice to-day, and both times at the painters,” 
returned the Leather-stocking ; “ see, here are the scalps ! I was 
just going in with them to the Judge’s to ask the bounty.” 

While Natty was speaking, he tossed the ears to Kirby, who 
continued playing with them, with a careless air, holding them 


THE PIONEERS. 


3G9 


to the dogs, and laughing at their movements when they scented 
the unusual game. 

But Hiram, emboldened by the advance of the deputed con- 
stable, now ventured to approach also, and took up the discourse 
with the air of authority that became his commission. His 
first measure was to read the warrant aloud, taking care to give 
due emphasis to the most material parts, and concluding with 
the name of the J udge in very audible and distinct tones. 

“Did Marmaduke Temple put his name to that bit of 
paper ? ” said Natty, shaking his head ; — “ well, well, that man 
loves the new ways, and his betterments, and his lands, afore 
his own flesh and blood. But I won’t mistrust the gal : she 
has an eye like a full-grown buck ! poor thing, she didn’t choose 
her father, and can’t help it. I know but little of the law, 
Mr. Doolittle ; what is to be done, now you’ve read your com- 
mission ? ” 

“ Oh ! it’s nothing but form, Natty,” said Hiram, endeavor- 
ing to assume a friendly aspect. “ Let’s go in, and talk the 
thing over in reason ; I dare to say that the money can be 
easily found, and I partly conclude, from what passed, that 
Judge Temple will pay it himself.” 

The old hunter had kept a keen eye on the movements of his 
three visitors, from the beginning, and had maintained his posi- 
tion, just without the threshold of his cabin, with a determined 
manner, that showed he was not to be easily driven from his 
post. When Hiram drew nigher, as if expecting his proposi- 
tion would be accepted, Natty lifted his hand, and motioned for 
him to retreat. 

“ Haven’t I told you more than once, not to tempt me ? ” he 
said. “ I trouble no man ; why can’t the law leave me to 
myself? Go back — go back, and tell your Judge that he may 
keep his bounty ; but I won’t have his wasty ways brought into 
my hut.” 

This offer, however, instead of appeasing the curiosity of 
Hiram, seemed to inflame it the more ; while Kirby cried — 

“ Well, that’s fair, squire ; he forgives the county his demand, 
16 * 


370 


THE riONEERS. 


and the county should forgive him the fine ; it’s what I call an 
even trade, and should be concluded on the spot. I like quick 
dealings, and what’s fair ’twixt man and man.” 

“I demand entrance into this house,” said Hiram, summon- 
ing all the dignity he could muster to his assistance, “ in the 
name of the people ; and by virtue of this warrant, and of my 
office, and with this peace-officer.” 

“ Stand back, stand back, squire, and don’t tempt me,” said 
the Leather-stocking, motioning for him to retire, with great 
earnestness. 

“ Stop us at your peril,” continued Hiram. “ Billy ! Jotham ! 
close up — I want testimony.” 

Hiram had mistaken the mild but determined air of Hatty 
for submission, and had already put his foot on the threshold to 
enter, when he was seized unexpectedly by his shoulders, and 
hurled over the little bank towards the lake, to the distance 
of twenty feet. The suddenness of the movement, and the 
unexpected display of strength on the part of Natty, created 
a momentary astonishment in his invaders, that silenced all 
noises ; but at the next instant Billy Kirby gave vent to 
his mirth in peals of laughter, that he seemed to heave up 
from his very soul. 

“Well done, old stub! ’’ he shouted : “the squire know’d you 
better than I did. Come, come, here’s a green spot ; take it 
out like men, while Jotham and I see fair play.” 

“ William Kirby, I order you to do your duty,” cried Hiram, 
from under the bank ; “ seize that man ; I order you to seize 
him in the name of the people.” 

But the Leather-stocking now assumed a more threatening 
attitude ; his rifle was in his hand, and its muzzle was directed 
towards the wood-chopper. 

“ Stand off, I bid ye,” said Natty ; “ you know my aim, Billy 
Kirby ; I don’t crave your blood, but mine and yourn both 
shall turn this green grass red, afore you put foot into the 
hut.” 

While the affair appeared trifling, the wood-chopper seemed 


THE PIONEERS. 


371 


disposed to take sides with the weaker party ; but when the 
fire-arms were introduced, his manner very sensibly changed. 
He raised his large frame from the log, and facing the hunter 
with an open front, he replied— 

“ I didn’t come here as your enemy, Leather-stocking ; but I 
don’t value the hollow piece of iron in your hand so much as a 
broken axe-helve ; so, squire, say the word, and keep within 
the law, and we’ll soon see who’s the best man of the two.” 

But no magistrate was to be seen ! The instant the rifle was 
produced Hiram and Jotham vanished ; and when the wood- 
chopper bent his eyes about him in surprise at receiving no 
answer, he discovered their retreating figures moving towards 
the village at a rate that sufficiently indicated that they had 
not only calculated the velocity of a rifle-bullet, but also its 
probable range. 

“ You’ve scared the creaters off,” said Kirby, with great con- 
tempt expressed on his broad features ; “ but you are not going 
to scare me ; so, Mr. Bumppo, down with your gun, or there’ll 
be trouble ’twixt us.” 

Natty dropped his rifle, and replied — 

“ I wish you no harm, Billy Kirby ; but I leave it to your 
self, whether an old man’s hut is to be run down by such 
varmint. I won’t deny the buck to you, Billy, and you may 
take the skin in, if you please, and show it as testimony. The 
bounty will pay the fine, and that ought to satisfy any man.” 

“ ’Twill, old boy, ’twill,” cried Kirby, every shade of displea- 
sure vanishing from his open brow at the peace-offering ; “ throw 
out the hide, and that shall satisfy the law.” 

Natty entered the hut, and soon re-appeared, bringing with 
him the desired testimonial ; and the wood-chopper departed, 
as thoroughly reconciled to the hunter as if nothing had 
happened. As he paced along the margin of the lake he 
would burst into frequent fits of laughter, while he recollected 
the summerset of Hiram ; and, on the whole, he thought the 
affair a ver} T capital joke. 

Long before Billy reached the village, however, the news of 


372 


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his danger, and of Natty’s disrespect of the law, and of Hiram’s 
discomfiture, were in circulation. A good deal was said about 
sending for the Sheriff ; some hints were given about calling 
out the posse comitatus to avenge the insulted laws ; and many 
of the citizens were collected, deliberating how to proceed. 
The arrival of Billy with the skin, by removing all grounds for 
a search, changed the complexion of things materially. 
Nothing now remained but to collect the fine, and assert the 
dignity of the people ; all of which, it was unanimously agreed, 
could be done as well on the succeeding Monday as on 
Saturday night, — a time kept sacred by a large portion of the 
settlers. Accordingly, all further proceedings were suspended 
for six-and-thirty hours. 


THE PIONEERS. 


373 


CHAPTER XXXT. 


And dar’st thou then 
To beard the lion in his den. 

The Douglass in his hall 7 

Marmion. 

The commotion was just subsiding, and the inhabitants of the 
village had begun to disperse from the little groups they had 
formed, each retiring to his own home, and closing his door 
after him, with the grave air of a man who consulted public 
feeling in his exterior deportment, when Oliver Edwards, on his 
return from the dwelling of Mr. Grant, encountered the young 
lawyer, who is known to the reader as Mr. Lippet. There was 
very little similarity in the manners or opinions of the two ; 
but as they both belonged to the more intelligent class of a 
very small community, they were, of course, known to each 
other, and as their meeting was at a point where silence 
would have been rudeness, the following conversation was the 
result of their interview : — 

“A fine evening, Mr. Edwards,” commenced the lawyer, 
whose disinclination to the dialogue was, to say the least, very 
doubtful ; “ we want rain sadly ; that’s the worst of this 
climate of ours, it’s either a drought or a deluge. It’s likely 
you’ve been used to a more equal temperature ?” 

“ I am a native of this state,” returned Edwards, coldly. 

“ Well, I’ve often heard that point disputed ; but it’s so 
easy to get a man naturalized, that it’s of little consequence 
where he was born. I wonder what course the Judge means to 
take in this business of Natty Bnmppo !” 

“ Of Natty Bumppo !” echoed Edwards ; “ to what do you 
allude, sir ?” 

“ Haven’t you heard !” exclaimed the other, with a look of 


374 


THE PIONEERS. 


surprise, so naturally assumed, as completely to deceive his 
auditor ; “ it may turn out an ugly business. It seems that the 
old man has been out in the hills, and has shot a buck this 
morning, and that, you know, is a criminal matter in the eyes 
of Judge Temple.” 

“ O ! he has, has he ?” said Edwards, averting his face to 
conceal the color that collected in his sun-burnt cheek. “ Well, 
if that be all, he must even pay the fine.” 

“ It’s five pounds currency,” said the lawyer ; “ could Natty 
muster so much money at once ?” 

“ Could he !” cried the youth. “ I am not rich, Mr. Lippet ; 
far from it — I am poor, and I have been hoarding my salary 
for a purpose that lies near my heart ; but before that old man 
should lie one hour in a jail, I would spend the last cent to 
prevent it. Besides, he has killed two panthers, and the bounty 
will discharge the fine many times over.” 

“ Yes, yes,” said the lawyer, rubbing his hands together, with 
an expression of pleasure that had no artifice about it ; “ we 
shall make it out ; I see plainly we shall make it out.” 

“ Make what out, sir ? I must beg an explanation.” 

“ Why, killing the buck is but a small matter compared to 
what took place this afternoon,” continued Mr. Lippet, with a 
confidential and friendly air, that insensibly won upon the youth, 
little as he liked the man. “ It seems that a complaint was 
made of the fact, and a suspicion that there was venison in the 
hut was sworn to*, all which is provided for in the statute, when 
Judge Temple granted a search-warrant ” 

“ A search-warrant !” echoed Edwards, in a voice of horror, 
and with a face that should have been again averted to conceal 
its paleness ; “ and how much did they discover ? What did 
they see ?” 

“ They saw old Bumppo’s rifle ; and that is a sight which 
will quiet most men’s curiosity in the woods.” 

“ Did they ! did they !*’ shouted Edwards, bursting into a 
convulsive laugh ; “ so the old hero beat them back ! — he beat 
them back ! did he ?” 


THE PIONEERS. 


375 


The lawyer fastened his eyes in astonishment on the youth, 
but as his wonder gave way to the thoughts that were 
commonly uppermost in his mind, he replied — 

“ It’s no laughing matter, let me tell you, sir ; the forty 
dollars of bounty, and your six mouths of salary, will be much 
reduced before you can get the matter fairly settled. Assault- 
ing a magistrate in the execution of his duty, and menacing a 
constable with fire-arms at the sa.ne time, is a pretty serious 
affair, and is punishable with both fine and imprisonment.” 

“ Imprisonment !” repeated Oliver ; “ imprison the Leather- 
stocking ! no, no, sir ; it would bring the old man to his grave. 
They shall never imprison the Leather-stocking.” 

“ Well, Mr. Edwards,” said Lippet, dropping all reserve from 
his manner, “ you are called a curious man ; but if you can tell 
me how a jury is to be prevented from finding a verdict of 
guilty, if this case comes fairly before them, and the proof is 
clear, I shall acknowledge that you know more law than I do, 
who have had a license in my pocket for three years.” 

By this time the reason of Edwards was getting the 
ascendency of his feelings, and as he began to see the real 
difficulties of the case, he listened more readily to the conversa- 
tion of the lawyer. The ungovernable emotion that escaped 
the youth, in the first moments of his surprise, entirely passed 
away ; and although it was still evident that he continued to 
be much agitated by what he had heard, he succeeded in 
yielding forced attention to the advice which the other uttered. 

Notwithstanding the confused state of his mind, Oliver soon 
discovered that most of the expedients of the lawyer were 
grounded in cunning, and plans that required a time to execute 
them that neither suited his disposition nor his necessities. After, 
however, giving Mr. Lippet to understand that he retained him 
in the event of a trial, an assurance that at once satisfied the 
lawyer, they parted, one taking his course, with a deliberate 
tread, in the direction of the little building that had a wooden 
sign over its door, with “ Chester Lippet, Attorney at Law ” 
painted on it ; and the other pacing over the ground with 


376 


THE PIONEERS. 


enormous strides towards the Mansion-house. We shall take 
leave of the attorney for the present, and direct the attention 
of the reader to his client. 

When Edwards entered the hall, whose enormous doors were 
opened to the passage of the air of a mild evening, he found 
Benjamin engaged in some of his domestic avocations, and in a 
hurried voice inquired where Judge Temple was to be found. 

“ Why, the Judge has stept into his office, with that master 
carpenter, Mister Doolittle ; but Miss Lizzy is in that there 
parlor. I say, Master Oliver, we’d like to have had a bad job 
of that panther, or painter’s work — some calls it one, and 
some calls it t’other — but I know little of the beast, seeing 
that it is not of British growth. I said as much as that it was 
in the hills the last winter ; for I heard it moaning on the lake 
shore one evening in the fall, when I was pulling down from 
the fishing point in the skiff. Had the animal come into open 
water, where a man could see where and how to work his 
vessel, I would have engaged the thing myself ; but looking 
aloft among the trees is all the same to me as standing on the 
deck of one ship, and looking at another vessel’s tops. I never 
can tell one rope from another ” 

“ Well, well,” interrupted Edwards ; “ I must see Miss Temple.” 

“ And you shall see her, sir,” said the steward ; “ she’s in this 
here room. Lord, Master Edwards, what a loss she’d have 
been to the J udge ! Dam’me if I know where he would have 
gotten such another daughter ; that is, full grown, d’ye see. I 
say, sir, this Master Bumppo is a worthy man, and seems to 
have a handy way with him, with fire-arms and boat-hooks. 
I’m his friend, Master Oliver, and he and you may both set me 
down as the same.” 

“We may want your friendship, my worthy fellow,” cried 
Edwards, squeezing his hand convulsively : “ we may want 
your friendship, in which case you shall know it.” 

Without waiting to hear the earnest reply that Benjamin 
meditated, the youth extricated himself from the vigorous grasp 
of the steward, and entered the parlor. 


THE PIONEERS. 


377 


Elizabeth was alone, and still reclining on the sofa, where we 
last left her. A hand, which exceeded all that the ingenuity 
of art could model, in shape and color, veiled her eyes ; and 
the maiden was sitting as if in deep communion with herself. 
Struck by the attitude and loveliness of the form that met his 
eye, the young man checked his impatience, and approached 
her with respect and caution. 

u Miss Temple — Miss Temple,” he said, “ I hope I do not 
intrude ; but I am anxious for an interview, if it be only for a 
moment.” 

Elizabeth raised her face, and exhibited her dark eyes swim- 
ming in moisture. 

“ Is it you, Edwards ?” she said, with a sweetness in her 
voice, and a softness in her air, that she often used to her 
father, but which, from its novelty to himself, thrilled on every 
nerve of the youth ; “ how left you our poor Louisa ?” 

“ She is with her father, happy and grateful,” said Oliver. 
“ I never witnessed more feeling than she manifested, when I 
ventured to express my pleasure at her escape. Miss Temple, 
when I first heard of your horrid situation, my feelings were too 
powerful for utterance ; and I did not properly find my tongue, 
until the walk to Mr. Grant’s had given me time to collect 
myself. I believe — I do believe, I acquitted myself better there, 
for Miss Grant even wept at my silly speeches.” 

For a moment Elizabeth did not reply, but again veiled her 
eyes with her hand. The feeling that caused the action, how- 
ever, soon passed away, and, raising her face again to his gaze, 
she continued, with a smile — 

“Your friend, the Leather-stocking, has now become my 
friend, Edwards ; I have been thinking how I can best serve 
him ; perhaps you, who know his habits and his wants so well, 
can tell me ” 

“ I can,” cried the youth, with an impetuosity that startled 
his companion — “ I can, and may Heaven reward you for the 
wish. Natty has been so imprudent as to forget the iaw, and 
has this day killed a deer. Nay, I believe I must share in the 


378 


THE PIONEERS. 


crime and the penalty, for I was an accomplice throughout. A 
complaint has been made to your father, and he has granted a 
search ” 

“ I know it all,” interrupted Elizabeth ; “ I know it all. The 
forms of the law must be complied with, however ; the search 
must be made, the deer found, and the penalty paid. But I 
must retort your own question. Have you lived so long in our 
family not to know us ? Look at me, Oliver Edwards. Do I 
appear like one who would permit the man that has just saved 
her life to linger in a jail for so small a sum as this fine ? No, 
no, sir ; my father is a Judge, but he is a man and a Christian. 
It is all understood, and no harm shall follow.” 

“ What a load of apprehension do your declarations remove !” 
exclaimed Edwards. “He shall not be disturbed again ! your 
father will protect him ! I have .your assurance, Miss Temple, 
that he will, and I must believe it.” 

“ You may have his own, Mr. Edwards,” returned Elizabeth, 
“ for here he comes to make it.” 

But the appearance of Marmaduke, who entered the apart- 
ment, contradicted the flattering anticipations of his daughter. 
His brow was contracted, and his manner disturbed. Neither 
Elizabeth nor the youth spoke ; but the Judge was allowed to 
pace once or twice across the room without interruption, when 
he cried — 

“ Our plans are defeated, girl ; the obstinacy of the Leather- 
stocking has brought down the indignation of the law on his 
head, and it is now out of my power to avert it.” 

“How? in what manner?” cried Elizabeth; “the fine is 
nothing ; surely ” 

“ I did not — I could not anticipate that an old, a friendless 
man like him, would dare to oppose the officers of justice,” 
interrupted the Judge ; “ I supposed that he would submit to 
the search, when the fine could have been paid, and the law would 
have been appeased ; but now he will have to meet its rigor.” 

“ And what must the punishment be, sir ?” asked Edwards, 
struggling to speak with firmness. 


THE PIONEERS. 


379 


Marmaduke turned quickly to the spot where the youth had 
withdrawn, and exclaimed — 

“ You here ! I did not observe you. I know not what it 
will be, sir; it is not usual for a Judge to decide, until he has 
heard the testimony, and the jury have convicted. Of one 
thing, however, you may be assured, Mr. Edwards ; it shall be 
whatever the law demands, notwithstanding any momentary 
weakness I may have exhibited, because the luckless man has 
been of such eminent service to my daughter.” 

“No one, I believe, doubts the sense of justice which Judge 
Temple entertains !” returned Edwards bitterly. “ But let us 
converse calmly, sir. Will not the years, the habits, nay, the 
ignorance of my old friend, avail him anything against this 
charge ?” 

“ Ought they ? They may extenuate, but can they acquit ? 
Would any society be tolerable, young man, where the minis- 
ters of justice are to be opposed by men armed with rifles ? Is 
it for this that I have tamed the wilderness ?” 

“ Had you tamed the beasts that so lately threatened the 
life of Miss Temple, sir, your arguments w T ould apply better.” 

“ Edwards !” exclaimed Elizabeth 

“Peace, my child,” interrupted the father; “the youth is 
unjust ; but I have not given him cause. I overlook thy 
remark, Oliver, for I know thee to be the friend of Natty, and 
zeal in his behalf has overcome thy discretion.” 

“ Yes, he is my friend,” cried Edwards, “ and I glory in the 
title. He is simple, unlettered, even ignorant ; prejudiced, per- 
haps, though I feel that his opinion of the world is too true ; 
but he has a heart, Judge Temple, that would atone for a 
thousand faults ; he knows his friends, and never deserts them, 
even if it be his dog.” 

“ This is a good character, Mr. Edwards,” returned Marma- 
duke, mildly ; “ but I have never been so fortunate as to secure 
his esteem, for to me he has been uniformly repulsive ; yet I 
have endured it, as an old man’s whim. However, when ho 
appears before me, as his Judge, he shall find that his former 


380 


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conduct sliall not aggravate, any more than his recent services 
shall extenuate, his crime.” 

“ Crime 1” echoed Edwards ; “ is it a crime to drive a prying 
miscreant from his door ? Crime ! Oh, no, sir ; if there be a 
criminal involved in this affair, it is not he.” 

“ And who may it be, sir ?” asked Judge Temple, facing the 
agitated youth, his features settled to their usual composure. 

This appeal was more than the young man could bear. 
Hitherto he had been deeply agitated by his emotions ; but now 
the volcano burst its boundaries. 

“ Who ! and this to me !” he cried ; “ ask your own con- 
science, Judge Temple. Walk to that door, sir, and look out 
upon the valley, that placid lake, and those dusky mountains, 
and say to your own heart, if heart you have, Whence came 
these riches, this vale, those hills, and why am I their owner ? 
I should think, sir, that the appearance of Mohegan and the 
Leather-stocking, stalking through the country, impoverished 
and forlorn, would wither your sight.” 

Marmaduke heard this burst of passion, at first, with deep 
amazement : but when the youth had ended, he beckoned to 
his impatient daughter for silence, and replied — 

“Oliver Edwards, thou forgettest in whose presence thou 
standest. I have heard, young man, that thou claimest descent 
from the native owners of the soil ; but surely thy education has 
been given thee to no effect, if it has not taught thee the 
validity of the claims that have transferred the title to the 
whites. These lands are mine by the very grants of thy ances- 
try, if thou art so descended ; and I appeal to Heaven for a 
testimony of the uses I have put them to. After this language, 
we must separate. I have too long sheltered thee in my dwell- 
ing ; but the time has arrived when thou must quit it. Come 
to my office, and I will discharge the debt I owe thee. Neither 
shall thy present intemperate language mar thy future fortunes, 
if thou wilt hearken to the advice of one who is by many years 
thy senior.” 

The ungovernable feeling that caused the violence of the 


THE PIONEERS. 


881 


youth had passed away, and he stood gazing after the retiring 
figure of Marmaduke, with a vacancy in his eye that denoted 
the absence of his mind. At length he recollected himself, and, 
turning his head slowly around the apartment, he beheld Eliza- 
beth, still seated on the sofa, but with her head dropped on her 
bosom, and her face again concealed by her hands. 

“ Miss Temple,” he said — all violence had left his manner — 
“ Miss Temple — I have forgotten myself — forgotten you. You 
have heard what your father has decreed, and this night I leave 
here. With you, at least, I would part in amity.” 

Elizabeth slowly raised her face, across which a momentary 
expression of sadness stole ; but as she left her seat, her dark 
eyes lighted with their usual fire, her cheek flushed to burning, 
and her whole air seemed to belong to another nature. 

“ I forgive you, Edwards, and my father will forgive you,” 
she said, when she reached the door. “ You do not know us, 

but the time may come when your opinions shall change ” 

“ Of you ! never !” interrupted the youth : “ I — ” 

“ I would speak, sir, and not listen. There is something in 
this affair that I do not comprehend ; but tell the Leather- 
stocking he has friends as well as judges in us. Do not let the 
old man experience unnecessary uneasiness at this rupture. It 
is impossible that you could increase his claims here ; neither 
shall they be diminished by anything you have said. Mr. 
Edwards, I wish you happiness, and warmer friends.” 

The youth would have spoken, but she vanished from the 
door so rapidly, that when he reached the hall her form was no- 
where to be seen. He paused a moment, in stupor, and then, 
rushing from the house, instead of following Marmaduke to his 
“ office,” he took his way directly for the cabin of the huusers. 




382 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER XXXII. 

‘ Who measured earth, described the starry spheres, 

And traced the long records of lunar years.” Pors. 

Richard did not return from the exercise of his official duties, 
until late in the evening of the following day. It had been 
one portion of his business to superintend the arrest of part of 
a gang of counterfeiters, that had, even at that early period, 
buried themselves in the woods, to manufacture their base coin, * 
which they afterwards circulated from one end of the Union to 
the other. The expedition had been completely successful, and 
about midnight the Sheriff entered the village, at the head of 
a posse of deputies and constables, in the centre of whom rode, 
pinioned, four of the malefactors. At the gate of the Mansion- 
house they separated, Mr. Jones directing his assistants to pro- 
ceed with their charge to the county jail, while he pursued his 
own way up the gravelled walk, with the kind of self-satisfac- 
tion that a man of his organization would feel, who had really, 
for once, done a very clever thing. 

“ Holla ! Aggy !” shouted the Sheriff, when he reached the 
door ; “ where are you, you black dog ? will you keep me here 
in the dark all night ? Holla ! Aggy ! Brave ! Brave ! hoy, 
hoy — where have you got to, Brave ? Off his watch ! Every- 
body is asleep but myself ! poor I must keep my eyes open, 
that others may sleep in safety. Brave ! Brave ! Well, I will 
say this for the dog, lazy as he’s grown, that it is the first time 
I ever knew him let any one come to the door after dark, with- 
out having a smell to know whether it was an honest man or 
not. He could tell by his nose, almost as well as I could my- 
self by looking at them. Holla ! you Agamemnon ! where are 
you ? Oh ! here comes the dog at last.” 


THE PIONEERS. 


383 


By this time the Sheriff had dismounted, and observed a 
form, which he supposed to be that of Brave, slowly creeping 
out of the kennel ; when, to his astonishment, it reared itself on 
two legs instead of four, and he was able to distinguish, by the 
star-light, the curly head and dark visage of the negro. 

“ Ha ! what the devil are you doing there, you black rascal ?” 
he cried ; “ is it not hot enough for your Guinea blood in the 
house, this warm night, but you must drive out the poor dog 
and sleep in his straw ?” 

By this time the boy was quite awake, and, with a olubber- 
ing whine, he attempted to reply to his master. 

“ Oh ! masser Richard ! masser Richard ! such a ting ! such 
a ting ! I neber tink a could ’appen ! neber tink he die ! Oh, 
Lor-a-gor ! an’t bury — keep ’em till masser Richard get back — 
got a grabe dug ” 

Here the feelings of the negro completely got the mastery, 
and instead of making any intelligible explanation of the causes 
of his grief, he blubbered aloud. 

“ Eh ! what ! buried ! grave ! dead !” exclaimed Richard, 
with a tremor in his voice ; “ nothing serious ? Nothing has 
happened to Benjamin, I hope ? I know he has been bilious ; 
but I gave him ” 

“ Oh ! worser ’an dat ! worser ’an dat !” sobbed the negro. 
“ Oh ! de Lor ! Miss ’Lizzy an’ Miss Grant — walk — mountain 
— poor Bravy ! — kill a lady — painter — Oh ! Lor, Lor ! — Natty 
Bumppo — tare he troat open — come a see, masser Richard — 
here he be — here he be.” 

As all this was perfectly inexplicable to the Sheriff, he was 
very glad to wait patiently until the black brought a lantern 
from the kitchen, when he followed Aggy to the kennel, where 
he beheld poor Brave, indeed, lying in his blood, stiff and cold, 
but decently covered with the great-coat of the negro. He was 
on the point of demanding an explanation ; but the grief of the 
black, who had fallen asleep on his voluntary watch, having 
burst out afresh on his waking, utterly disqualified the lad from 
giving one. Luckily, at this moment the principal door of the 


384 


THE PIONEERS. 


house opened, and the coarse features of Benjamin were thrust 
over the threshold, with a candle elevated above them, shedding 
its dim rays around in such a manner as to exhibit the lights 
and shadows of his countenance. Richard threw his bridle to 
the black, and bidding him look to the horse, he entered the 
hall. 

“ What is the meaning of the dead dog ?” he cried. 
“ Where is Miss Temple ?” 

Benjamin made one of his square gestures, with the thumb 
of his left hand pointing over his right shoulder, as he 
answered — 

“ Turned in.” 

“ Judge Temple — where is he ?” 

“ In his berth.” 

“ But explain ; why is Brave dead 3 and what is the cause 
of Aggy’s grief ?” 

“Why, it’s all down, Squire,” said Benjamin, pointing to a 
slate that lay on the table, by the side of a mug of toddy, a 
short pipe, in which the tobacco was yet burning, and a Prayer- 
book. 

Among the other pursuits of Richard, he had a passion to 
keep a register of all passing events ; and his diary, which was 
written in the manner of a journal, or log-book, embraced not 
only such circumstances as affected himself, but observations on 
the weather, and all the occurrences of the family, and frequently 
of the village. Since his appointment to the office of Sheriff, 
and his consequent absences from home, he had employed 
Benjamin to make memoranda, on a slate, of whatever might 
be thought worth remembering, which, on his return, were 
regularly transferred to the journal, with proper notations of 
the time, manner, and other little particulars. There was, to be 
sure, one material objection to the clerkship of Benjamin, which 
the ingenuity of no one but Richard could have overcome. 
The steward read nothing but his Prayer-book, and that only 
in particular parts, and by the aid of a good deal of spelling, 
and some misnomers ; but he could not form a single letter 


THE PIONEERS. 


385 


with a pen. This would have been an insuperable bar to jour- 
nalizing, with most men ; but Richard invented a kind of hiero- 
glyphical character, which was intended to note all the ordinary- 
occurrences bf a day, such as how the wind blew, whether the 
sun shone, or whether it rained, the hours, &c. ; and for the 
extraordinary, after giving certain elementary lectures on the 
subject, the Sheriff was obliged to trust to the ingenuity of the 
major-domo. The reader will at once perceive, that it was to 
this chronicle that Benjamin pointed, instead of directly answer- 
ing the Sheriff’s interrogatory. 

When Mr. Jones had drunk a glass of toddy, he brought forth, 
from its secret place, his proper journal, and, seating himself by 
the table, he prepared to transfer the contents of the slate to the 
paper, at the same time that he appeased his curiosity. Benja- 
min laid one hand on the back of the Sheriff’s chair, in a familiar 
manner, while he kept the other at liberty, to make use of a fore- 
finger, that was bent like some of his own characters, as an index 
to point out his meaning. 

The first thing referred to by the sheriff was the diagram of 
a compass, cut in one corner of the slate for permanent use. 
The cardinal points were plainly marked on it, and all the 
usual divisions were indicated in such a manner, that no man 
who had ever steered a ship could mistake them. 

“ Oh !” said the Sheriff, settling himself down comfortably in 
his chair — “ you’d the wind south-east, I see, all last night ; I 
thought it would have blown up rain.” 

“ Devil the drop, sir,” said Benjamin ; “ I believe that the 
scuttle-butt up aloft is emptied, for there hasn’t so much water 
fell in the country, for the last three weeks, as would float Indian 
John’s canoe, and that draws just one inch nothing, light.” 

“ Well, but didn’t the wind change here this morning ? 
there was a change where I was.” 

“ To be sure it did, Squire ; and haven’t I logged it as a shift 
of wind.” 

“ I don’t see where, Benjamin ” 

“ Don’t see !” interrupted the steward, a little crustily ; “ an’t 

17 


386 


THE PIONEERS. 


there a mark ag’in east-and-by-nothe-half-nothe, with sum’mat 
like a rising sun at the end of it, to show ’twas in the morning 
watch ?” 

“ Yes, yes, that is very legible ; but where is the chango 
noted ?” 

“ Where ! why doesn’t it see this here tea-kettle, with a mark 
run from the spout straight, or mayhap a little crooked or so, 
into west-and-by-southe-half-southe ? now I call this a shift of 
wind, Squire. Well, do you see this here boar’s head that you 
made for me, along-side of the compass ” 

“ Ay, ay — Boreas — I see. Why you’ve drawn lines from its 
mouth, extending from one of your marks to the other.” 

“ It’s no fault of mine, Squire Dickens ; ’tis your d — d climate. 
The wind has been at all them there marks this very day ; and 
that’s all round the compass, except a little matter of an Irish- 
man’s hurricane at meridium, which you’ll find marked right up 
and down. Now, I’ve known a sow-wester blow for three 
weeks, in the channel, with a clean drizzle, in which you might 
wash your face and hands, without the trouble of hauling in 
water from alongside.” 

“Very well, Benjamin,” said the Sheriff, writing in his journal ; 

“ I believe I have caught the idea. Oh ! here’s a cloud over 
° 

the rising sun so you had it hazy in the morning ?” 

“ Ay, ay, sir,” said Benjamin. 

“ Ah ! it's Sunday, and here are the marks for the length of 
the sermon — one, two, three, four : — what ! did Mr. Grant preach 
forty minutes?” 

“ Ay, sum’mat like it ; it was a good half-hour by my own 
glass, and then there was the time lost in turning it, and some 
little allowance for leeway in not being over-smart about it.” 

“ Benjamin, this is as long as a Presbyterian ; you never 
could have been ten minutes in turning the glass !” 

“ Why, do you see, Squire, the parson was very solemn, and 
I just closed my eyes in order to think the better with myself, 
just the same as you’d put in the dead-lights to make all snug, 
and when I opened them ag’in I found the congregation were 


THE PIONEERS. 


3 SI 


getting under weigh for home, so I calculated the ten minutes 
would cover the leeway after the glass was out. It. was only 
some such matter as a cat’s nap.” 

“ Oh, ho ! master Benjamin, you were asleep, were you 1 but 
I’ll set down no such slander against an orthodox divine.” 
Richard wrote twenty-nine minutes in his journal, and continued 
— “ Why, what's this you’ve got opposite ten o’clock a. m.? A 
full moon ! had you a moon visible by day ! I have heard of 
such portents before now, but — eh ! what’s this along-side of it ? 
an hour-glass ?” 

“That!” said Benjamin, looking coolly over the Sheriff’s 
shoulder, and rolling the tobacco about in his mouth with a 
jocular air ; “ why, that’s a small matter of my own. It’s no 
moon, Squire, but only Betty Hollister’s face ; for, d’ye see, sir, 
hearing all the same as if she had got up a new cargo of 
Jamaiky from the river, I called in as I was going to the church 
this morning — ten a.m. was it? — just the time — and tried a 
glass ; and so I logged it, to put me in mind of calling to pay 
her like an honest man.” 

“ That was it, was it ?” said the Sheriff, with some displeasure 
at this innovation on his memoranda ; “ and could you not make 
a better glass than this ? it looks like a death’s head and an 
hour-glass.” 

“ Why, as I liked the stuff, Squire,” returned the steward, “ I 
turned in, homeward bound, and took t’other glass, which I set 
down at the bottom of the first, and that gives the thing the 
shape it has. But as I was there again to-night, and paid for 
the three at once, your honor may as well run the sponge over 
the whole business.” 

“ I will buy you a slate for your own affairs, Benjamin,” said 
the Sheriff ; “ I don’t like to have the journal marked over in 
this manner.” 

“ You needn’t — you needn’t, Squire ; for seeing that I was 
likely to trade often with the woman while this barrel lasted, 
I’ve opened a fair account with Betty, and she keeps her marks 


388 


THE PIONEERS. 


on the back of her bar door, and I keeps the tally on this hero 
bit of a stick.” 

As Benjamin concluded he produced a piece of wood, on which 
five very large, honest notches were apparent. The Sheriff cast 
his eyes on this new ledger for a moment, and continued — 

“ What have we here ! Saturday, two p. m., — why here’s a 
whole family piece ! two wine glasses up-side-down !” 

“ That’s two women ; the one this a-way is Miss ’Lizzy, and 
t’other is the parson’s young’un.” 

“ Cousin Bess and Miss Grant !” exclaimed the Sheriff, in 
amazement ; “ what have they to do with my journal ?” 

“ They’d enough to do to get out of the jaws of that there, 
painter, or panther,” said the immovable steward. 

“This here thingum’y, Squire, that maybe looks sum’mat like 
a rat, is the beast, d’ye see ; and this here t’other thing, keel 
uppermost, is poor old Brave, who died nobly, all the same as 
an admiral fighting for his king and country : and that 
there ” 

“ Scarecrow,” interrupted Richard. 

“ Ay, mayhap it do look a little wild or so,” continued the 
steward ; “ but to my judgment, Squire, it’s the best image 
I’ve made, seeing it’s most like the man himself; — well that’s 
Natty Bumppo, who shot this here painter, that killed that there 
dog, who would have eaten or done worse to them here young 
ladies.” 

“ And what the devil does all this mean ?” cried Richard, 
impatiently. 

“ Mean !” echoed Benjamin ; “ it is as true as the Boadishey’s 
log-book ” 

He was interrupted by the Sheriff, who put a few direct 
questions to him, that obtained more intelligible answers, by 
which means he became possessed of a tolerably correct idea of 
the truth. When the wonder, and, we must do Richard the 
justice to say, the feelings also, that were created by this narra 
tive, had in some degree subsided, the Sheriff turned his eyes 


THE PIONEERS. 


389 


again on liis journal, where more inexplicable hieroglyphics met 
his view. 

“ What have we here !” he cried ; “ two men boxing ! has 
there been a breach of the peace ? ah, that’s the way, the 
moment my back is turned ” 

“ That’s the Judge and young Master Edwards,” interrupted 
the steward, very cavalierly. 

“ How ! ’duke fighting with Oliver ! what the devil has got 
into you all ? more things have happened within the last thirty- 
six hours than in the preceding six months.” 

“ Yes, it’s so indeed, Squire,” returned the steward ; “ I’ve 
known a smart chase, and a fight at the tail of it, where less 
has been logged than I’ve got on that there slate. Howsom- 
never, they didn’t come to facers, only passed a little jaw fore 
and aft.” 

“ Explain ! explain !” cried Richard : — “ it was about the 
mines, ha ! — ay, ay, I see it, I see it ; here is a man with a 
pick on his shoulder. So you heard it all, Benjamin ?” 

“ Why, yes, it was about their minds, I believe, Squire,” 
returned the steward ; “ and by what I can learn, they spoke 
them pretty plainly to one another. Indeed, I may say that I 
overheard a small matter of it myself, seeing that the windows 
was open, and I hard by. But this here is no pick, but an 
anchor on a man’s shoulder ; and here’s the other fluke down 
his back, maybe a little too close, which signifies that the lad 
has got under weigh and left his moorings.” 

“ Has Edwards left the house ?” 

“ He has.” 

Richard pursued this advantage ; and, after a long and close 
examination, he succeeded in getting out of Benjamin all that 
he knew, not only concerning the misunderstanding, but of the 
attempt to search the hut, and Hiram’s discomfiture. The 
Sheriff was no sooner possessed of these facts, which Benjamin 
related with all possible tenderness to the Leather-stocking, 
than, snatching up his hat, and bidding the astonished steward 
secure the doors and go to his bed, he left the house. 


390 


THE PIONEERS. 


For at least five minutes after Richard disappeared, Benjamin 
stood with his arms a-kimbo, and his eyes fastened on the door ; 
when, having collected his astonished faculties, he prepared to 
execute the orders he had received. 

It has been already said that the “ court of common pleas 
and general sessions of the peace,” or, as it is commonly called, 
the “ county court,” over which J udge Temple presided, held 
one of its stated sessions on the following morning. The 
attendants of Richard were officers who had come to the 
village, as much to discharge their usual duties at this court, as 
to escort the prisoners ; and the Sheriff knew their habits too 
well, not to feel confident he should find most, if not all of 
them, in the public room of the jail, discussing the qualities 
of the keeper’s liquors. Accordingly he held his way through 
the silent streets of the village, directly to the small and inse- 
cure building that contained all the unfortunate debtors, and 
some of the criminals of the county, and where justice was 
administered to such unwary applicants as were so silly as to 
throw away two dollars, in order to obtain one from their 
neighbors. The arrival of four malefactors in the custody of 
a dozen officers, was an event, at that day, in Templeton ; and 
when the Sheriff reached the jail, he found every indication 
that his subordinates intended to make a night of it. 

The nod of the Sheriff brought two of his deputies to the 
door, who in their turn drew off six or seven of the constables. 
With this force Richard led the way through the village, 
towards the bank of the lake, undisturbed by any noise, except 
the barking of one or two curs, who were alarmed by the 
measured tread of the party, and by the low murmurs that ran 
through their own numbers, as a few cautious questions and 
answers were exchanged, relative to the object of their expedi- 
tion. When they had crossed the little bridge of hewn logs 
that was thrown over the Susquehanna, they left the highway, 
and struck into that field which had been the scene of the 
victory over the pigeons. From this they followed their leader 
into the low bushes of pines and chestnuts which had sprung 


THE PIONEERS. 


3U1 


up along the shores of the lake, where the plough had not 
succeeded the fall of the trees, and soon entered the forest 
itself. Here Richard paused, and collected his troop around 
him. 

“ I have required your assistance, my friends,” he said, in a 
low voice, “ in order to arrest Nathaniel Bumppo, commonly 
called the Leather-stocking. He has assaulted a magistrate, 
and resisted the execution of a search-warrant, by threatening 
the life of a constable with his rifle. In short, my friends, he 
has set an example of rebellion to the laws, and has become a 
kind of outlaw. He is suspected of other misdemeanors and 
offences against private rights ; and I have this night taken on 
myself, by the virtue of my office of Sheriff, to arrest the said 
Bumppo, and bring him to the county jail, that he may be 
present and forthcoming to answer to these heavy charges 
before the court to-morrow morning. In executing this duty, 
friends and fellow-citizens, you are to use courage and discre- 
tion. Courage, that you may not be daunted by any lawless 
attempts that this man may make with his rifle and his dogs, 
to oppose you ; and discretion, which here means caution and 
prudence, that he may not escape from this sudden attack — 
and for other good reasons that I need not mention. You will 
form yourselves in a complete circle around his hut, and at the 
word ‘ advance,’ called aloud by me, you will rush forward, 
and, without giving the criminal time for deliberation, enter 
his dwelling by force, and make him your prisoner. Spread 
yourselves for this purpose, while I shall descend to the shore 
with \ deputy, to take charge of that point ; and all communi- 
cations must be made directly to me, under the bank in front 
of the hut, where I shall station myself, and remain in order to 
receive them.” 

This speech, which Richard had been studying during his 
walk, had the effect that all similar performances produce, of 
bringing the dangers of the expedition immediately before the 
eyes of his forces. The men divided, some plunging deeper into 
the forest, in order to gain their stations without giving an alarnq 


392 


THE PI ONEERS. 


and others continuing to advance, at a gait that would allow 
the whole party to go in order : but all devising the best plan 
to repulse the attack of a dog, or to escape a rifle bullet. It 
was a moment of dread expectation and interest. 

When the Sheriff 1 thought time enough had elapsed for the 
different divisions of his force to arrive at their stations, he raised 
his voice in the silence of the forest, and shouted the watch- 
word. The sounds played among the arched branches of the 
trees in hollow cadences ; but when the last sinking tone was 
lost on the ear, in place of the expected howls of the dogs, no 
other noises were returned but the crackling of torn branches and 
dried sticks, as they yielded before the advancing steps of the 
officers. Even this soon ceased, as if by a common consent, when 
the curiosity and impatience of the Sheriff getting the complete 
ascendency over discretion, he rushed up the bank, and in a 
moment stood on the little piece of cleared ground in front of 
the spot where Natty had so long lived. To his amazement, 
in place of the hut he saw only its smouldering ruins. 

The party gradually drew together about the heap of ashes 
and the ends of smoking logs ; while a dim flame in the centre 
of the ruin, which still found fuel to feed its lingering life, threw 
its pale light, flickering with the passing currents of the air, 
around the circle, — now showing a face with eyes fixed in 
astonishment, and then glancing to another countenance, leaving 
the former shaded in the obscurity of night. Not a voice was 
raised in inquiry, nor an exclamation made in astonishment. 
The transition from excitement to disappointment was too pow- 
erful for speech : and even Richard lost the use of an organ 
that was seldom known to fail him. 

The whole group were yet in the fulness of their surprise, 
when a tall form stalked from the gloom into the circle, treading 
down the hot ashes and dying embers with callous feet ; and 
standing over the light, lifted his cap, and exposed the bare 
head and weather-beaten features of the Leather-stocking. For 
a moment he gazed at the dusky figures who surrounded him, 
more in sorrow than in anger, before he spoke. 


THE PIONEERS. 


393 


“ What would ye with an old and helpless man ?” he said. 
“ You’ve driven God’s creaters from the wilderness, where his 
providence had put them for his own pleasure : and you’ve 
brought in the troubles and divilties of the law, where no man 
was ever known to disturb another. You have driven me, that 
have lived forty long years of my appointed time in this very 
spot, from my home and the shelter of my head, lest you should 
put your wicked feet and wasty ways in my cabin. You’ve driven 
me to burn these logs, under which I’ve eaten and drunk — the 
first of Heaven’s gifts, and the other of the pure springs — for the 
half of a hundred years ; and to mourn the ashes under my feet, as 
a man would weep and mourn for the children of his body. You’ve 
rankled the heart of an old man, that has never harmed you or 
you’rn, with bitter feelings towards his kind, at a time when his 
thoughts should be on a better world ; and you’ve driven him 
to wish that the beasts of the forest, who never feast on the 
blood of their own families, was his kindred and race : and now, 
when he has come to see the last brand of his hut, before it is 
melted into ashes, you follow him up, at midnight, like hungry 
hounds on the track of a worn-out and dying deer. What 
more would ye have ? for I am here — one too many. I come 
to mourn, not to fight ; and, if it is God’s pleasure, work your 
will on me.” 

When the old man ended, he stood, with the light glimmer- 
ing around his thinly-covered head, looking earnestly at the 
group, which receded from the pile with an involuntary move- 
ment, without the reach of the quivering rays, leaving a free 
passage for his retreat into the bushes, where pursuit, in the 
dark, would have been fruitless. Natty seemed not to regard 
this advantage ; but stood facing each individual in the circle 
in succession, as if to see who would be the first to arrest him. 
After a pause of a few moments, Richard began to rally his 
confused faculties ; and, advancing, apologized for his duty, and 
made him his prisoner. The party now collected ; and, pre- 
ceded by the Sheriff, with Natty in their centre, they took their 
way towards the village. 


17 * 


394 


THE PIONEERS 


During the walk, divers questions were put to the prisoner 
concerning his reasons for burning the hut, and whither Mohe- 
gan had retreated ; but to all of them he observed a profound 
silence, until, fatigued with their previous duties, and the late- 
ness of the hour, the Sheriff and his followers reached the 
village, and dispersed to their several places of rest, after turn- 
ing the key of a jail on the aged and apparently friendless 
Leather-stocking. 


THE PI0NEERJ3. 


395 


CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Fetch here the stocks, ho ! 

You stubborn ancient knave, you reverend braggart 

We’ll teach you. Lear. 

The long days and early sun of July allowed time for a 
gathering of the interested, before the little bell of the academy 
announced that the appointed hour had arrived for administer- 
ing right to the wronged, and punishment to the guilty. Ever 
since the dawn of day, the highways and woodpaths that, 
issuing from the forests, and winding along^the sides of the 
mountains, centred in Templeton, had been thronged with 
equestrians and footmen, bound to the haven of justice. There 
was to be seen a well-clad yeoman, mounted on a sleek, switch- 
tailed steed, ambling along the highway, with his red face 
elevated in a manner that said, “ I have paid for my land, and 
fear no man while his bosom was swelling with the pride of 
being one of the grand inquest for the county. At his side 
rode a companion, his equal in independence of feeling, perhaps, 
but his inferior in thrift, as in property and consideration. This 
was a professed dealer in lawsuits, — a man whose name appeared 
in every calendar, — whose substance, gained in the multifarious 
expedients of a settler’s changeable habits, was wasted in feed- 
ing the harpies of the courts. He was endeavoring to impress 
the mind of the grand juror with the merits of a cause now at 
issue. Along with these was a pedestrian, who, having thrown 
a rifle frock over his shirt, and placed his best wool hat above 
his sun-burnt visage, had issued from his retreat in the woods 
by a footpath, and was striving to keep company with the 
others, on his way to hear and to decide the disputes of his 
neighbors, as a petit juror. Fifty similar little knots of coun- 


396 


T HE PIONEERS. 


trymen might have been seen, on that morning, journeying to- 
wards the shire-town on the same errand. 

By ten o’clock the streets of the village were filled with busy 
faces ; some talking of their private concerns, some listening to 
a popular expounder of political creeds ; and others gaping in 
at the open stores, admiring the finery, or examining scythes, 
axes, and such other manufactures as attracted their curiosity 
or excited their admiration. A few women were in the crowd, 
most carrying infants, and followed, at a lounging, listless gait, 
by their rustic lords and masters. There was one young couple, 
in whom connubial love was yet fresh, walking at a respectful 
distance from each other ; while the swain directed the timid 
steps of his bride, by a gallant offering of a thumb ! 

At the first stroke of the bell, Richard issued from the door 
of the “ Bold Dragoon,” flourishing a sheathed sword, that he 
was fond of saying his ancestors had carried in one of Crom- 
well’s victories, and crying, in an authoritative tone, to “ clear 
the way for the court.” The order was obeyed promptly, 
though not servilely, the members of the crowd nodding fami- 
liarly to the members of the procession as it passed. A party 
of constables with their staves followed the Sheriff, preceding 
Marmaduke, and four plain, grave-looking yeomen, who were 
his associates on the bench. There was nothing to distinguish 
these subordinate judges from the better part of the spectators, 
except gravity, which they affected a little more than common, 
and that one of their number was attired in an old-fashioned 
military coat, with skirts that reached no lower than the middle 
of his thighs, and bearing two little silver epaulettes, not half 
so big as a modern pair of shoulder-knots. This gentleman 
was a colonel of the militia, in attendance on a court-martial, 
who found leisure to steal a moment from his military to 
attend to his civil jurisdiction; but this incongruity excited 
neither notice nor comment. Three or four clean-shaved law- 
yers followed, as meekly as if they were lambs going to the 
slaughter. One or two of their number had contrived to 
obtain an air of scholastic gravity by wearing spectacles. The 


THE PIONEERS. 


397 


rear was brought up by another posse of constables, and the 
mob followed the whole into the room where the court held its 
sittings. 

The edifice was composed of a basement of squared logs, 
perforated here and there with small grated windows, through 
which a few wistful faces were gazing at the crowd without. 
Among the captives were the guilty, downcast countenances of 
the counterfeiters, and the simple but honest features of the 
Leather-stocking. The dungeons were to be distinguished, 
externally, from the debtors’ apartments only by the size of the 
apertures, the thickness of the grates, and by the heads of the 
spikes that were driven into the logs as a protection against the 
illegal use of edge-tools. The upper story was of frame-work, 
regularly covered with boards, and contained one room decently 
fitted up for the purposes of justice. A bench, raised on a 
narrow platform to the height of a man above the floor, and 
protected in front by a light railing, ran along one of its sides. 
In the centre was a seat, furnished with rude arms, that was 
always filled by the presiding judge. In front, on a level with 
the floor of the room, was a large table covered with green 
baize, and surrounded by benches ; and at either of its ends 
were rows of seats, rising one over the other, for jury boxes. 
Each of these divisions was surrounded by a railing. The 
remainder of the room was an open square, appropriated to the 
spectators. 

When the judges were seated, the lawyers had taken posses- 
sion of the table, and the noise of moving feet had ceased in 
the area, the proclamations were made in the usual form, the 
jurors were sworn, the charge was given, and the court pro- 
ceeded to hear the business before them. 

We shall not detain the reader with a description of the 
captious discussions that occupied the court for the first two 
hours* Judge Temple had impressed on the jury, in his 
chargie, the necessity for despatch on their part, recommending 
to their notice, from motives of humanity, the prisoners in the 
jail, as the first objects of their attention. Accordingly, after 


398 


THE PIONEERS. 


the period we have mentioned had elapsed, the cry of the 
officer to “ clear the way for the grand jury,” announced the 
entrance of that body. The usual forms were observed, when 
the foreman handed up to the bench two bills, on both of 
which the Judge observed, at the first glance of his eye, the 
name of Nathaniel Bumppo. It was a leisure moment with 
the court ; some low whispering passed between the bench and 
the Sheriff, who gave a signal to his officers, and in a very few 
minutes the silence that prevailed was interrupted by a general 
movement in the outer crowd ; when presently the Leather- 
stocking made his appearance, ushered into the criminal’s bar 
under the custody of two constables. The hum ceased, the 
people closed into the open space again, and the silence soon 
became so deep, that the hard breathing of the prisoner was 
audible. 

Natty was dressed in his buck-skin garments, without his 
coat, in place of which he wore only a shirt of coarse linen- 
check, fastened at his throat by the sinew of a deer, leaving his 
red neck and weather-beaten face exposed and bare. It was the 
first time that he had ever crossed the threshold of a court of 
justice, and curiosity seemed to be strongly blended with his 
personal feelings. He raised his eyes to the bench, thence to 
the jury-boxes, the bar, and the crowd without, meeting every- 
where looks fastened on himself. After surveying his own 
person, as searching the cause of this unusual attraction, he 
once more turned his face around the assemblage, and opened 
his mouth in one of his silent and remarkable laughs. 

“ Prisoner, remove your cap,” said Judge Temple. 

The order was either unheard or unheeded. 

“ Nathaniel Bumppo, be uncovered,” repeated the Judge. 

Natty started at the sound of his name, and raising his face 
earnestly towards the bench, he said — 

“ Anan !” 

Mr. Lippet arose from his seat at the table, and whispered 
in the ear of the prisoner ; when Natty gave him a nod of 
assent, and took the deer-skin covering from his head. 


THE PIONEERS. 


399 


“Mr. District Attorney,” said the Judge, “the prisoner is 
ready ; vve wait for the indictment.” 

The duties of public prosecutor were discharged by Dirck 
Van der School, who adjusted his spectacles, cast a cautious 
look around him at his brethren of the bar, which he ended by 
throwing his head aside so as to catch one glance over the 
glasses, when he proceeded to read the bill aloud. It was the 
usual charge for an assault and battery on the person of Hiram 
Doolittle, and was couched in the ancient language of such 
instruments, especial care having been taken by the scribe not 
to omit the name of a single offensive weapon known to the 
law. When he had done, Mr. Van der School removed his 
spectacles, which he closed and placed in his pocket, seemingly 
for the pleasure of again -opening and replacing them on his 
hose. After this evolution was repeated once or twice, he 
handed the bill over to Mr. Lippet, with a cavalier air, that said 
as much as “ Pick a hole in that if you can.” 

Natty listened to the charge with great attention, leaning 
forward towards the reader with an earnestness that denoted 
his interest ; and when it was ended, he raised his tall body to 
the utmost, and drew a long sigh. All eyes were turned to the 
prisoner, whose voice was vainly expected to break the stillness 
of the room. 

“ You have heard the presentment that the grand jury have 
made, Nathaniel Bumppo,” said the Judge; “what do you 
plead to the charge ?” 

The old man dropped his head for a moment in a reflecting 
attitude, and then raising it, he laughed before he answered — 

“ That I handled the man a little rough or so, is not to be 
denied ; but that there was occasion to make use of all the 
things that the gentleman has spoken of, is downright untrue. 
I am not much of a wrestler, seeing that I’m getting old ; but 
I was out among the Scotch-Irishers — lets me see — it must 
have been as long ago as the first year of the old war ” 

“ Mr. Lippet, if you are retained for the prisoner,” interrupted 


400 


THE PIONEERS. 


Judge Temple, “ instruct your client liow to plead ; if not, the 
court will assign him counsel.” 

Aroused from studying the indictment by this appeal, the 
attorney got up, and after a short dialogue with the hunter in 
a low voice, he informed the court that they were ready to pro- 
ceed. 

“ Do you plead guilty or not guilty ?” said the Judge. 

“I may say not guilty with a clean conscience,” returned 
Natty ; “ for there’s no guilt in doing what’s right ; and I’d 
rather died on the spot, than had him put foot in the hut at 
that moment.” 

Richard started at this declaration, and bent his eyes signifi- 
cantly on Hiram, who returned the look with a slight move- 
ment of his eyebrows. 

“ Proceed to open the cause, Mr. District Attorney,” con- 
tinued the Judge. “ Mr. Clerk, enter the plea of not guilty.” 

After a short opening address from Mr. Van der School, 
Hiram was summoned to the bar to give his testimony. It 
was delivered to the letter, perhaps, but with all that moral 
coloring which can be conveyed under such expressions as, 
“ thinking no harm,” “ feeling it my bounden duty as a magis- 
trate,” and “ seeing that the constable was back’ard in the busi- 
ness.” When he had done, and the district attorney declined 
putting any further interrogatories, Mr. Lippet arose, with an 
air of keen investigation, and asked the following questions : 

“ Are you a constable of this county, sir ?” 

“ No, sir,” said Hiram, “ I’m only a justice-peace.” 

“ I ask you, Mr. Doolittle, in the face of this court, putting it 
to your conscience and your knowledge of the law, whether you 
had any right to enter that man’s dwelling ?” 

“ Hem !” said Hiram, undergoing a violent struggle between 
his desire for vengeance and his love of legal fame ; “ I do sup- 
pose — that in — that is — strict law — that supposing — maybe I 
hadn’t a real — lawful right ; — but as the case was — and Billy 
was so back’ard — I thought I might come for’ard in the business ” 


THE PIONEERS. 


401 


“ I ask you again, sir,” continued the lawyer, following up 
his success, “ whether this old, this friendless old man, did or 
did not repeatedly forbid your entrance ?” 

“ Why, I must say,” said Hiram, “ that he was considerable 
cross-grained ; not what I call clever, seeing that it was only 
one neighbor wanting to go into the house of another.” 

“ Oh ! then you own it was only meant for a neighborly 
visit on your part, and without the sanction of law. Remem- 
ber, gentlemen, the words of the witness, ‘ one neighbor want- 
ing to enter the house of another.’ Now, sir, I ask you if 
Nathaniel Bumppo did not again and again order you not to 
enter ?” 

“ There was some words passed between us,” said Hiram, 
“ but I read the warrant to him aloud.” 

“ I repeat my question ; did he tell you not to enter his 
habitation ?” 

“ There was a good deal passed betwixt us — but I’ve the 
warrant in my pocket ; maybe the court would wish to see it ?” 

“Witness,” said Judge Temple, “answer the question 
directly ; did or did not the prisoner forbid your entering his 
hut ?” 

“ Why, I some think ” 

“ Answer without equivocation,” continued the Judge, 
sternly. 

“ He did.” 

“ And did you attempt to enter after this order ?” 

“ I did ; but the warrant was in my hand.” 

“ Proceed, Mr. Lippet, with your examination.” 

But the attorney saw that the impression was in favor of 
his client, and, waving his hand with a supercilious manner, as 
if unwilling to insult the understanding of the jury with any 
further defence, he replied — 

“ No, sir ; I leave it for your honor to charge ; I rest my 
case here.” 

“Mr. District Attorney,” said the Judge, “have you anything 
to say ?” 


402 


THE PIONEERS. 


Mr. Van der School removed his spectacles, folded them, 
and replacing them once more on his nose, eyed the other bill 
which he held in his hand, and then said, looking at the bar 
over the top of his glasses — 

“ I shall rest the prosecution here, if the court please.” 

Judge Temple arose and began the charge. 

“Gentlemen of the Jury,” he said, “you have heard the 
testimony, and I shall detain you but a moment. If an officer 
meet with resistance in the execution of a process, he has an 
undoubted right to call any citizen to his assistance ; and the 
acts of such assistant come within the protection of the law. I 
shall leave you to judge, gentlemen, from the testimony, how 
far the witness in this prosecution can be so considered, feeling 
less reluctance to submit the case thus informally to your deci- 
sion, because there is yet another indictment to be tried, which 
involves heavier charges against the unfortunate prisoner.” 

The tone of Marmaduke was mild and insinuating, and as his 
sentiments were given with such apparent impartiality, they did 
not fail of carrying due weight with the jury. The grave-look- 
ing yeomen who composed this tribunal, laid their heads 
together for a few minutes, without leaving the box, when the 
foreman arose, and after the forms of the court were duly ob- 
served, he pronounced the prisoner to be — 

“ Not guilty.” 

“ You are acquitted of this charge, Nathaniel Bumppo,” said 
the judge. 

“ Anan ! ” said Natty. 

“ You are found not guilty of striking and assaulting Mr. 
Doolittle.” 

“No, no, I’ll not deny but that I took him a little roughly 
by the shoulders,” said Natty, looking about him with great 
simplicity, “ and that I ” 

“You are acquitted,” interrupted the Judge, “ and there is 
nothing further to be said or done in the matter.” 

A look of joy lighted up the features of the old man, who 
now comprehended the case, and placing his cap eagerly on his 


THE PIONEERS. 


403 


head again, he threw up the bar of his little prison, and said 
feelingly — 

“ I must say this for you, Judge Temple, that the law has not 
been so hard on me as I dreaded. I hope God will bless you 
for the kind things you’ve done to me this day.” 

But the staff of the constable was opposed to his egress, and 
Mr. Lippet whispered a few words in his ear, when the aged 
hunter sank back into his place, and, removing his cap, stroked 
down the remnants of his grey and sandy locks, with an air of 
mortification mingled with submission. 

“ Mr. District Attorney,” said Judge Temple, affecting to busy 
himself with his minutes, “ proceed with the second indictment.” 

Mr. Van der School took great care that no part of the pre- 
sentment, which he now read, should be lost on his auditors. It 
accused the prisoner of resisting the execution of a search-war- 
rant, by force of arms, and particularized, in the vague language 
of the law, among a variety of other weapons, the use of the rifle. 
This was indeed a more serious charge than an ordinary assault 
and battery, and a corresponding degree of interest was mani- 
fested by the spectators in its result. The prisoner was duly 
arraigned, and his plea again demanded. Mr. Lippet had anti- 
cipated the answers of Natty, and in a whisper advised him how 
to plead. But the feelings of the old hunter were awakened by 
some of the expressions of the indictment, and, forgetful of his 
caution, he exclaimed — 

“ ’Tis a wicked untruth ; I crave no man’s blood. Them 
thieves, the Iroquois, won’t say it to my face, that I ever thirsted 
after man’s blood. I have fou’t as a soldier that feared his Ma- 
ker and his officer, but I never pulled trigger on any but a war- 
rior that was up and awake. No man can say that I ever struck 
even a Mingo in his blanket. I believe there’s some who thinks 
there’s no God in a wilderness ! ” 

“ Attend to your plea, Bumppo,” said the Judge ; “ you hear 
that you are accused of using your rifle against an officer of jus- 
tice ? are you guilty or not guilty ? ” 

By this time the irritated feelings of Natty had found vent ; 


404 


THE PIONEERS. 


and he rested on the bar for a moment, in a musing posture, 
when he lifted his face, with his silent laugh, and, pointing to 
where the wood-chopper stood, he said — 

“ Would Billy Kirby be standing there, d’ye think, if I had 
used the rifle ? ” 

“ Then you deny it,” said Mr. Lippet ; “ you plead not guil- 
ty?” 

“ Sartain ,” said Natty ; “ Billy knows that I never fired at all. 
Billy, do you remember the turkey last winter? ah ! me ! that was 
better than common firing ; but I can’t shoot as I used to could.” 

“Enter the plea of not guilty,” said Judge Temple, strongly 
affected by the simplicity of the prisoner. 

Hiram was again sworn, and his testimony given on the se- 
cond charge. He had discovered his former error, and proceed- 
ed more cautiously than before. He related very distinctly, and 
for the man, with amazing terseness, the suspicion against 
the hunter, the complaint, the issuing of the warrant, and 
the swearing in of Kirby ; all of which, he affirmed, were 
done in due form of law. He then added the manner in which 
the constable had been received; and stated distinctly, that 
Natty had pointed the rifle at Kirby, and threatened his life, if 
he attempted to execute his duty. All this was confirmed by 
Jotham, who was observed to adhere closely to the story of the 
magistrate. Mr. Lippet conducted an artful cross-examination of 
these two witnesses, but after consuming much time, was com- 
pelled to relinquish the attempt to obtain any advantage, in 
despair. 

At length the district attorney called the wood-chopper to the 
bar. Billy gave an extremely confused account of the whole 
affair, although he evidently aimed at the truth, until Mr. Van 
der School aided him, by asking some direct questions : — 

“ It appears from examining the papers, that you demanded 
admission into the hut legally ; so you were put in bodily fear 
by his rifle and threats ? ” 

“ I didn’t mind them that, man,” said Billy, snapping his 
fingers ; “ I should be a poor stick to mind old Leather-stocking.” 


THE PIONEERS. 


405 


“ But I understood you to say (referring to your previous 
words (as delivered here in court) in the commencement of 
your testimony) that you thought he meant to shoot you ? ” 

“ To be sure I did ; and so would you too, squire, if you had 
seen the chap dropping a muzzle that never misses, and cocking 
an eye that has a natural squint by long practice. I thought 
there would be a dust on’t, and my back was up at once ; 
but Leather-stocking gi’n up the skin, and so the matter ended.” 

“ Ah ! Billy,” said Natty, shaking his head, “ ’twas a lucky 
thought in me to throw out the hide, or there might have been 
blood spilt ; and I’m sure, if it had been yourn, I should have 
mourn’d it sorely the little while I have to stay.” 

“ Well, Leather-stocking,” returned Billy, facing the prisoner 
with a freedom and familiarity that utterly disregarded the pre- 
sence of the court, “ as you are on the subject, it may be that 
you’ve no ” 

“ Go on with your examination, Mr. District Attorney.” 

That gentleman eyed the familiarity between his witness and 
the prisoner with manifest disgust, and indicated to the court 
that he was done. 

“ Then you didn’t feel frightened, Mr. Kirby? ” said the coun- 
sel for the prisoner. 

“ Me ! no,” said Billy, casting his eyes over his own huge 
frame with evident self-satisfaction ; “ I’m not to be skeared so 
easy.” 

“ You look like a hardy man ; where were you born, sir ? ” 

“ Varmount state ; ’tis a mountaynious place, but there’s a 
stiff soil, and it’s pretty much wooded with beech and maple.” 

“ I have always heard so,” said Mr. Lippet, soothingly. “ You 
have been used to the rifle yourself, in that country ? ” 

“ I pull the second best trigger in this county. T knock un- 
der to Natty Bumppo there, sin’ he shot the pigeon.” 

Leather-stocking raised his head, and laughed again, when 
he abruptly thrust out a wrinkled hand, and said — 

“ You’re young yet, Billy, and hav’n’t seen the matches that I 
have ; but here’s my hand ; I bear no malice to you, I don’t.” 


406 


THE PIONEERS. 


Mr. Lippet allowed this conciliatory offering to be accepted, 
and judiciously paused, while the spirit of peace was exercising 
its influence over the two ; but the Judge interposed his 
authority. 

“ This is an improper place for such dialogues,” he said 
“ Proceed with your examination of this witness, Mr. Lippet, or 1 
shall order the next.” 

The attorney started, as if unconscious of any impropriety, and 
continued — 

“ So you settled the matter with Natty amicably on the spot, 
did you?” 

“ He gi’n me the skin, and I didn’t want to quarrel with an 
old man ; for my part, I see no such mighty matter in shooting 
a buck ! ” 

“ And you parted friends ? and you would never have 
thought of bringing the business up before a court, hadn’t you 
been subpoenaed ? ” 

“ I don’t think I should ; he gi’n the skin, and I didn’t feel a 
hard thought, though Squire Doolittle got some affronted.” 

“ I have done, sir,” said Mr. Lippet, probably relying on the 
charge of the Judge, as he again seated himself, witli the air of 
a man who felt that his success was certain. 

When Mr. Van der School arose to address the jury, he 
commenced by saying — 

“ Gentlemen of the jury, I should have interrupted the lead- 
ing questions put by the prisoner’s counsel (by leading questions 
I mean telling him what to say), did I not feel confident that 
the law of the land was superior to any advantages (I mean 
legal advantages) which he might obtain by his art. The 
counsel for the prisoner, gentlemen, has endeavored to persuade 
you, in opposition to your own good sense, to believe that 
pointing a rifle at a constable (elected or deputed) is a very 
innocent affair ; and that society (I mean the commonwealth, 
gentlemen) shall not be endangered thereby. But let me claim 
your attention, while we look over the particulars of this heinous 
offence.” Here Mr. Van der School favored the jury with an 


THE PIONEERS. 


407 


abridgment of the testimony, recounted in such a manner as 
utterly to confuse the faculties of his worthy listeners. After 
this exhibition he closed as follows: — “And now, gentlemen, 
having thus made plain to your senses the crime of which this 
unfortunate man has been guilty (unfortunate both on account 
of his ignorance and his guilt), I shall leave you to your own 
consciences ; not in the least doubting that you will see the 
importance (notwithstanding the prisoner’s counsel (doubtless 
relying on your former verdict) wishes to appear so confident of 
success) of punishing the offender, and asserting the dignity of 
the laws.” 

It was now the duty of the J udge to deliver his charge. It 
consisted of a short, comprehensive summary of the testimony, 
laying bare the artifice of the prisoner’s counsel, and placing the 
facts in so obvious a light, that they could not well be misunder- 
stood. “ Living as we do, gentlemen,” he concluded, “ on the 
skirts of society, it becomes doubly necessary to protect the minis- 
ters of the law. If you believe the witnesses, in their construc- 
tion of the acts of the prisoner, it is your duty to convict him ; 
but if you believe that the old man, who this day appears before 
you, meant not to harm the constable, but was acting more 
under the influence of habit than by the instigations of malice, 
it will be your duty to judge him, but to do it with lenity.” 

As before, the jury did not leave their box ; but, after a con- 
sultation of some little time, their foreman arose, and pronounced 
the prisoner — 

“ Guilty.” 

There was but little surprise manifested in the court room 
at this verdict, as the testimony, the greater part of which we 
have omitted, was too clear and direct to be passed over. The 
judges seemed to have anticipated this sentiment, for a consulta- 
tion was passing among them also, during the deliberation of 
the jury, and the preparatory movements of the “bench” 
announced the coming sentence. 

“Nathaniel Bumppo,” commenced the Judge, making the 
customary pause. 


408 


THE PIONEERS. 


The old hunter, who had been musing again, with his head 
on the bar, raised himself, and cried, with a prompt, military 
tone — 

“Here.” 

The Judge waved his hand for silence, and proceeded — 

“ In forming their sentence, the court have been governed as 
much by the consideration of your ignorance of the laws, as by 
a strict sense of the importance of punishing such outrages as 
this of which you have been found guilty. They have therefore 
passed over the obvious punishment of whipping on the bare 
back, in mercy to your years ; but as the dignity of the law 
requires an open exhibition of the consequences of your crime, it 
is ordered, that you be conveyed from this room to the public 
stocks, where you are to be confined for one hour : that you 
pay a fine to the state of one hundred dollars ; and that you 
be imprisoned in the jail of this county for one calendar month, 
and furthermore, that your imprisonment do not cease until 
the said fine shall be paid. I feel it my duty, Nathaniel 
Bumppo ” 

“ And where should I get the money ?” interrupted the 
Leather-Stocking, eagerly ; “ where should I get the money ? 
you’ll take away the bounty on the painters, because I cut the 
throat of a deer ; and how is an old man to find so much gold 
or silver in the woods? No, no, judge : think better of it, and 
don’t talk of shutting me up in a jail for the little time I have 
to stay.” 

“If you have anything to urge against the passing of the 
sentence, the court will yet hear you,” said the Judge, mildly. 

“I have enough to say ag’in it,” cried Natty, grasping the 
bar on which his fingers were working with a convulsed motion. 
“ Where am I to get the money ? Let me out into the wo<fds 
and hills, where I’ve been used to breathe the clear air, and 
though I’m threescore and ten, if you’ve left game enough in 
the country, I’ll travel night and day but I’ll make you up the 
sum afore the season is over. Yes, yes — you see the reason of 
the thing, and the wickedness of shutting up an old man, that 


THE PIONEERS. 


409 


has spent his days, as one may say, where he could always look 
into the windows of heaven.” 

“ I must be governed by the law ” 

“Talk not to me of law, Marmaduke Temple,” interrupted 
the hunter. u Did the beast of the forest mind your laws, 
when it was thirsty and hungering for the blood of your own 
child ! She was kneeling to her God for a greater favor than 
I ask, and he heard her ; and if you now say no to my prayers, 
do you think he will be deaf ?” 

“ My private feelings must not enter into ” 

“ Hear me, Marmaduke Temple,” interrupted the old man, 
with melancholy earnestness, “ and hear reason. I’ve travelled 
these mountains when you was no judge, but an infant in your 
mother’s arms ; and I feel as if I had a right and a privilege to 
travel them ag’in afore I die. Have you forgot the time that 
you come on to the lake-shore, when there wasn’t even a jail 
to lodge in ; and didn’t I give you my own bear-skin to sleep 
on, and the fat of a noble buck to satisfy the cravings of your 
hunger ? Yes, yes — you thought it no sin then to kill a deer ! 
And this I did, though I had no reason to love you, for you 
had never done anything but harm to them that loved and 
sheltered me. And now, will you shut me up in your dun- 
geons to pay me for my kindness ? . A hundred dollars ! where 
should I get the money \ No, no — there’s them that says hard 
things of you, Marmaduke Temple, but you an’t so bad as to 
wish to see an old man die in a prison, because he stood up for 
the right. Come, friend, let me pass ; it’s long sin’ I’ve been 
used to such crowds, and I crave to be in the woods ag’in. 
Don't fear me, Judge — I bid you not to fear me ; for if there’s 
beaver enough left on the streams, or the buckskins will sell for 
a shilling a-piece, you shall have the last penny of the fine. 
Where are ye, pups ! come away, dogs ! come away ! we have 
a grievous toil to do for our years, but it shall be done — yes, 
yes, I’ve promised it, and it shall be done !” 

It is unnecessary to say, that the movement of the Leather? 
stocking was again intercepted by the constable ; but before ho 

18 


410 


THE PIONEERS. 


had time to speak, a bustling in the crowd, and a loud hem, 
drew all eyes to another part of the room. 

Benjamin had succeeded in edging his way through the 
people, and was now seen balancing his short body, with one 
foot in a window and the other on a railing of the jury-box. 
To the amazement of the whole court, the steward was evidently 
preparing to speak. After a good deal of difficulty, he suc- 
ceeded in drawing from his pocket a small bag, and then found 
utterance. 

“ If-so-be,” he said, “ that your honor is agreeable to trust 
the poor fellow out on another cruise among the beasts, here’s 
a small matter that will help to bring down the risk, seeing 
that there’s just thirty-five of your Spaniards in it ; and I wish, 
from the bottom of my heart, that they was raal British gui- 
neas, for the sake of the old boy. But ’tis as it is; and if 
Squire Dickens will just be so good as to overhaul this small 
bit of an account, and take enough from the bag to settle the 
same, he’s welcome to hold on upon the rest, till such time as 
the Leather-stocking can grapple with them said beaver, or, for 
that matter, for ever, and no thanks asked.” 

As Benjamin concluded, he thrust out the wooden register 
of his arrears to the “ Bold Dragoon” with one hand, while he 
offered his bag of dollars with the other. Astonishment at this 
singular interruption produced a profound stillness in the room, 
which was only interrupted by the Sheriff, who struck his sword 
on the table, and cried — 

“ Silence !” 

“There must be an end to this,” said the Judge, strilggling 
to overcome his feelings. “ Constable, lead the prisoner to the 
stocks. Mr. Clerk, what stands next on the calendar ?” 

Natty seemed to yield lo his destiny, for he sank his head 
on his chest, and followed the officer from the court-room in 
silence. The crowd moved back for the passage of the prisoner, 
and when his tall form was seen descending from the outer 
door, a rush of the people to the scene of his disgrace followed. 


THK PIONEERS. 


411 


CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Ha ! ha ! look ! he wears cruel garters ! Leak. 

The punishments of the common law were still known, at 
the time of our tale, to the people of New York ; and the 
whipping-post, and its companion, the stocks, were not yet 
supplanted by the more merciful expedients of the public 
prison. Immediately in front of the jail those relics of the 
elder times were situated, as a lesson of precautionary justice to 
the evil-doers of the settlement. 

Natty followed the constables to this spot, bowing his head 
with submission to a power that he was unable to oppose, and 
surrounded by the crowd that formed a circle about his person, 
exhibiting in their countenances strong curiosity. A constable 
raised the upper part of the stocks, and pointed with his finger 
to the holes where the old man was to place his feet. Without 
making the least objection to the punishment, the Leather- 
stocking quietly seated himself on the ground, and suffered his 
limbs to be laid in the openings, without even a murmur ; 
though he cast one glance about him, in quest of that sympathy 
that human nature always seems to require under suffering. If 
he met no direct manifestations of pity, neither did he see any 
unfeeling exultation, or hear a single reproachful epithet. The 
character of the mob, if it could be called by such a name, was 
that of attentive subordination. 

The constable was in the act of lowering the upper plank, 
when Benjamin, who had pressed close to the side of the 
prisoner, said, in his hoarse tones, as if seeking for some cause 
to create a quarrel — 

“ Wliere away, master constable, is the use of clapping a man 


412 


THE PIONEERS. 


in them here bilboes ? it neither stops his grog nor hurts his 
back ; what for is it that you do the thing ?” 

“ ’Tis the sentence of the court, Mr. Penguillium, and there’s 
law for it, I s’pose.” 

“ Ay, ay, I know that there’s law for the thing ; but where 
away do you find the use, I say ? it does no harm, and it only 
keeps a man by the heels for the small matter of two glasses.” 

“Is it no harm, Benny Pump,” said Natty, raising his eyes 
with a piteous look in the face of the steward — “ is it no harm 
to show off a man in his seventy-first year, like a tame bear, for 
the settlers to look on ! Is it no harm to put an old soldier, 
that has sarved through the war of ’fifty-six, and seen the inimy 
in the ’seventy-six business, into a place like this, where the 
boys can point at him and say, I have known the time when 
he was a spectacle for the county ! Is it no harm to bring 
down the pride of an honest man to be the equal of the beasts 
of the forest !” 

Benjamin stared about him fiercely, and could he have found 
a single face that expressed contumely, he would have been 
prompt to quarrel with its owner ; but meeting everywhere 
with looks of sobriety, and occasionally of commiseration, he 
very deliberately seated himself by the side of the hunter, and 
placing his legs in the two vacant holes of the stocks, he said — 

“ Now lower away, master constable, lower away, I tell ye ! 
If-so-be there’s such a thing hereabouts as a man that wants to 
see a bear, let him look and be d — d, and he shall finS. two of 
them, and mayhap one of the same that can bite as well as 

“ But I have no orders to put you in the stocks, Mr. Pump,” 
cried the constable ; “ you must get up, and let me do my duty.” 

“ You’ve my orders, and what do you need better to meddle 
with my own feet ? so lower away, will ye, and let me see the 
man that chooses to open his mouth with a grin on it.” 

“ There can’t be any harm in locking up a creater that will 
enter the pound,” said the constable, laughing, and closing the 
stocks on them both. 


THE PIONEERS. 


413 


It was fortunate that this act was executed with decision, for 
the whole of the spectators, when they saw Benjamin assume 
the position he took, felt an inclination for merriment, which 
few thought it worth while to suppress. The steward struggled 
violently for his liberty again, with an evident intention of 
making battle on those who stood nearest to him ; but the key 
was already turned, and all his efforts were vain. 

“ Hark ye, master constable,” he cried, “ just clear away your 
bilboes for the small matter of a log-glass, will ye, and let me 
show some of them there chaps who it is they are so merry 
about.” 

“ No, no, you would go in, and you can’t come out,” returned 
the officer, “ until the time has expired that the Judge directed 
for the keeping of the prisoner.” 

Benjamin, finding that his threats and his struggles were use- 
less, had good sense enough to learn patience from the resigned 
manner of his companion, and soon settled himself down by the 
side of Natty, with a contemptuousness expressed in his hard 
features, that showed he had substituted disgust for rage. 
When the violence of the steward’s feelings had in some mea- 
sure subsided, he turned to his fellow-sufferer, and, with a motive 
that might have vindicated a worse effusion, he attempted the 
charitable office of consolation. 

“ Taking it by and large, Master Bump-ho, ’tis but a small 
matter after all,” he said. “ Now, I’ve known very good sort of 
men, aboard of the Boadishey, laid by the heels, for nothing, 
mayhap, but forgetting that they’d drunk their allowance 
already, when a glass of grog has come in their way. This is 
nothing more than riding with two anchors ahead, waiting for 
a turn in the tide, or a shift of wind, d’ye see, with a soft bot- 
tom and plenty of room for the sweep of your hawse. Now 
I’ve seen many a man, for over-shooting his reckoning, as I told 
ye, moored head and starn, where he couldn’t so much as heave 
his broadside round, and mayhap a stopper clapt on his tongue 
too, in the shape of a pump-bolt lashed athwartship his jaws, all 
the same as an out-rigger along-side of a taffrel-rail.” 


414 


THE PIONEERS. 


The hunter appeared to appreciate the kind intentions of the 
other, though he could not understand his eloquence ; and 
raising his humbled countenance, he attempted a smile, as he 
said — 

“ Anan !” 

“ ’Tis nothing, I say, but a small matter of a squall that will 
soon blow over,” continued Benjamin. “ To you that has such 
a length of keel, it must be all the same as nothing ; tho’f, see- 
ing that I’m a little short in my lower timbers, they’ve triced my 
heels up in such a way as to give me a bit of a cant. But what 
cares I, Master Bump-ho, if the ship strains a little at her 
anchor ; it’s only for a dog-watch, and dam’me but she’ll sail 
with you then on that cruise after them said beaver. I’m not 
much used to small-arms, seeing that I was stationed at the 
ammunition-boxes, being sum’mat too low-rigged to see over 
the hammock-cloths ; but I can carry the game, d’ye see, and 
mayhap make out to lend a hand with- the traps ; and if-so-be 
you’re any way so handy with them as ye be with your boat- 
hook, ’twill be but a short cruise after all. I’ve squared the 
yards with Squire Dickens this morning, and I shall send him 
word that he needn’t bear my name on the books again till 
such time as the cruise is over.” 

“ You’re used to dwell with men, Benny,” said Leather- 
stocking, mournfully, “ and the ways of the woods would be 

hard on you, if ” i 

“Not a bit — not a bit,” cried the steward; “I’m none of 
your fair-weather chaps, Master Bump-ho, as sails only in 
smooth water. When I find a friend, I sticks by him, d’ye see. 
Now, there’s no better man a-going than Squire Dickens, and I 
love him about the same as I loves Mistress Hollister’s new keor 

o 

of Jamaiky.” The steward paused, and turning his uncouth 
visage on the hunter, he surveyed him with a roguish leer of his 
eye, and gradually suffered the muscles of his hard features to 
relax, until his face was illuminated by the display of his white 
teeth, when he dropped his voice, and added, — “ I say, Master 
Leather-stocking, ’tis fresher and livelier than any Hollands 


THE PIONEERS. 


415 


you’ll get in Garnsey. But we’ll send a hand over and ask the 
woman for a taste, for I’m so jamb’d in these here bilboes, that I 
begin to want sum’mat to lighten my upper works.” 

Natty sighed, and gazed about him on the crowd, that 
already began to disperse, and which had now diminished 
greatly, as its members scattered in their various pursuits. He 
looked wistfully at Benjamin, but did not reply ; a deeply seated 
anxiety seeming to absorb every other sensation, and to throw a 
melancholy gloom over his wrinkled features, which were work- 
ing with the movements of his mind. 

The steward was about to act on the old principle, that 
silence gives consent, when Hiram Doolittle, attended by Jo- 
tham, stalked out of the crowd, across the open space, and 
approached the stocks. The magistrate passed by the end 
where Benjamin was seated, and posted himself, at a safe dis- 
tance from the steward, in front of the Leather-stocking. Hiram 
stood, for a moment, cowering before the keen looks that Natty 
fastened on him, and suffering under an embarrassment that 
was quite new ; when, having in some degree recovered him- 
self, he looked at the heavens, and then at the smoky atmo- 
sphere, as if it were only an ordinary meeting with a friend, and 
said in his formal hesitating way — 

“ Quite a scurcity of rain lately ; I some think we shall have 
a long drought on’t.” 

Benjamin was occupied in untying his bag of dollars, and did 
not observe the approach of the magistrate, while Natty turned 
his face, in which every muscle was working, away from him in 
disgust, without answering. Rather encouraged than daunted 
by this exhibition of dislike, Hiram, after a short pause, conti- 
nued. 

“ The clouds look as if they’d no water in them, and the 
earth is dreadfully parched. To my judgment, there’ll be short 
crops this season, if the rain doesn’t fall quite speedily.” 

The air with which Mr. Doolittle delivered this prophetical 
opinion w ? as peculiar to his species. It was a jesuitical, cold, 
unfeeling, and selfish manner, that seemed to say, “ I have kept 


416 


THE PIONEERS. 


within the law,” to the man he had so cruelly injured. It quite 
overcame the restraint that the old hunter had been laboring to 
impose on himself, and he burst out in a warm glow of indigna- 
tion. 

“Why should the rain fall from the clouds,” he cried, 
“ when you force the tears from the eyes of the old, the sick, 
and the poor ! Away with ye — away with ye ! you may be 
formed in the image of the Maker, but Satan dwells in your 
heart. Away with ye, I say ! I am mournful, and the sight of 
ye brings bitter thoughts.” 

Benjamin ceased thumbing his money, and raised his head at 
the instant that Hiram, who was thrown oft’ his guard by the 
invectives of the hunter, unluckily trusted his person within 
reach of the steward, who grasped one of his legs, with a hand 
that had the grip of a vice, and whirled the magistrate from his 
feet, before he had either time to collect his senses or to exercise 
the strength he did really possess. Benjamin wanted neither 
proportions nor manhood in his head, shoulders, and arms, 
though all the rest of his frame appeared to be originally 
intended for a very different sort of a man. He exerted his 
physical powers on the present occasion, with much discretion ; 
and as he had taken his antagonist at a great disadvantage, 
the struggle resulted, very soon, in Benjamin getting the magis- 
trate fixed in a posture somewhat similar to his own, and 
manfully placed face to face. ^ 

“You’re a ship’s cousin, I tell ye, Master Doo-but-little,” 
roared the steward ; “ some such matter as a ship’s cousin, sir. 
I know you, I do, with your fair-weather speeches to Squire 
Dickens, to his face, and then you go and sarve out your 
grumbling to all the old women in the town, do ye. An’t it 
enough for any Christian, let him harbor never so much malice, 
to get an honest old fellow laid by the heels in this fashion, 
without carrying sail so hard on the poor dog, as if you would 
run him down as he lay at his anchors ? But I’ve logged many 
a hard thing against your name, master, and now the time’s 
come to foot up the day’s work, d’ye see ; so square yourself 


THE PIONEERS. 


417 


you lubber, square yourself, and we’ll soon know who’s the bet- 
ter man.” 

“ Jotham ! ” cried the frightened magistrate — “ Jotham ! call 
in the constables. Mr. Penguillium, I command the peace — I 
order you to keep the peace.” 

“ There’s been more peace than love atwixt us, master,” cried 
the steward, making some very unequivocal demonstrations 
towards hostility ; “ so mind yourself ! square' yourself, I say ! 
do you smell this here bit of a sledge-hammer ? ” 

“ Lay hands on me if you dare ! ” exclaimed Hiram, as well 
as he could under the grasp which the steward held on his 
throttle — “ lay hands on me if you dare ! ” 

“ If ye call this laying, master, you are welcome to the eggs,” 
roared the steward. 

It becomes our disagreeable duty to record here, that the acts 
of Benjamin now became violent ; for he darted his sledge- 
hammer violently on the anvil of Mr. Doolittle’s countenance, 
and the place became, in an instant, a scene of tumult and 
confusion. The crowd rushed in a dense circle around the 
spot, while some ran to the court-room to give the alarm, and 
one or two of the more juvenile part of the multitude had a 
desperate trial of speed to see who should be the happy man 
to communicate the critical situation of the magistrate to his 
wife. 

Benjamin worked away with great industry and a good deal 
of skill, at his occupation, using one hand to raise up his anta- 
gonist, while he knocked him over with the other ; for he would 
have been disgraced in his own estimation, had he struck a blow 
on a fallen adversary. By this considerate arrangement he had 
found means to hammer the visage of Hiram out of all shape, 
by the time Richard succeeded in forcing his way through the 
throng to the point of combat. The Sheriff afterwards declared 
that, independently of his mortification, as preserver of the 
peace of the county, at this interruption to its harmony, he was 
never so grieved in his life, as when he saw this breach of unity 

18 * 


418 


THE PIONEERS. 


between bis favorites. Hiram had in some degree become 
necessary to his vanity, and Benjamin, strange as it may appear, 
he really loved. This attachment was exhibited in the first 
words that he uttered. 

“ Squire Doolittle ! Squire Doolittle ! I am ashamed to see 
a man of your character and office forget himself so much as to 
disturb the peace, insult the court, and beat poor Benjamin in 
this manner ! ” 

At the sound of Mr. Jones’s voice, the steward ceased his 
employment, and Hiram had an opportunity of raising his 
discomfited visage towards the mediator. Emboldened by 
the sight of the Sheriff, Mr. Doolittle again had recourse to 
his lungs. 

“ HI have the law on you for this,” he cried desperately ; 
“ I’ll have the law on you for this. I call on you, Mr. Sheriff, 
to seize this man, and I demand that you take his body into 
custody.” 

By this time Richard was master of the true state of the case, 
and, turning to the steward, he said, reproachfully — 

“ Benjamin, how came you in the stocks ? I always thought 
you were mild and docile as a lamb. It was for your docility 
that I most esteemed you. Benjamin ! Benjamin ! you have 
not only disgraced yourself, but your friends, by this shameless 
conduct. Bless me ! bless me ! Mr. Doolittle, he seems to have 
knocked your face all of one side.” * 

Hiram by this time had got on his feet again, and without 
the reach of the steward, when he broke forth in violent appeals 
for vengeance. The offence was too apparent to be passed over, 
and the Sheriff, mindful of the impartiality exhibited by his 
cousin in the recent trial of the Leather-stocking, came to the 
painful conclusion that it was necessary to commit his major- 
domo to prison. As the time of Natty’s punishment was 
expired, and Benjamin found that they were to be confined, for 
that night at least, in the same apartment, he made no very 
strong objections to the measure, nor spoke of bail, though, as 


THE PIONEERS. 


419 


tlie Sheriff preceded the party of constables that conducted them 
to the jail, he uttered the following remonstrance : — 

“ As to being berthed with Master Bump-ho for a night or 
so, it’s but little I think of it, Squire Dickens, seeing that I calls 
him an honest man, and one as has a handy way with boat- 
hooks and rifles ; but as for owning that a man desarves any- 
thing worse than a double allowance, for knocking that carpen- 
ter’s face a-one-side, as you call it, I’ll maintain it’s ag’in reason 
and Christianity. If there’s a bloodsucker in this ’ere county, 
it’s that very chap. Ay ! I know him ! and if he hasn’t got all 
the same as dead wood in his head-works, he knows sum’mat 
of me. Where’s the mighty harm, Squire, that you take it so 
much to heart ? It’s all the same as any other battle, d’ye see, 
sir, being broadside to broadside, only that it was fout at anchor, 
which was what we did in Port Praya roads, when Suffering 
came in among us ; and a suffering time he had of it, before he 
got out again.” 

Richard thought it unworthy of him to make any reply to 
this speech ; but when his prisoners were safely lodged in an 
outer dungeon, ordering the bolts to be drawn and the key 
turned, he withdrew. 

Benjamin held frequent and friendly dialogues with different 
people, through the iron gratings, during the afternoon ; but 
his companion paced their narrow limits, in his moccasins, with 
quick, impatient treads, his face hanging on his breast in dejec- 
tion, or when lifted, at moments, to the idlers at the window, 
lighted, perhaps, for an instant, with the childish aspect of aged 
forgetfulness, which would vanish directly in an expression of 
deep and obvious anxiety. 

At the close of the day, Edwards was seen at the window, in 
earnest dialogue with his friend ; and after he departed, it was 
thought that he had communicated words of comfort to the 
hunter, who threw himself on his pallet, and was soon in a deep 
sleep. The curious spectators had exhausted the conversation 
of the steward, who had drunk good fellowship with half of his 
acquaintance, and as Natty was no longer in motion, by eight 


420 


THE PIONEERS. 


o’clock, Billy Kirby, who was the last lounger at the window, 
retired into the “ Templetown Coffee-house,” when Natty rose 
and hung a blanket before the opening, and the prisoners appa- 
rently retired for the night- 


THE PIONEERS. 


421 


CHAPTER XXXV. 

And to avoid the foe’s pursuit, 

With spurring put their cattle to’t ; 

And till all four were out of wind, 

And danger too, ne’er looked behind. 

Hudibras. 

As the shades of evening approached, the jurors, witnesses, 
and other attendants on the court, began to disperse, and before 
nine o’clock the village was quiet, and its streets nearly deserted. 
At that hour Judge Temple and his daughter, followed at a 
short distance by Louisa Grant, walked slowly down the avenue, 
under the slight shadows of the young poplars, holding the 
following discourse : — 

“ You can best soothe his wounded spirit, my child,” said 
Marmaduke ; “ but it will be dangerous to touch on the nature 
of his offence ; the sanctity of the laws must be respected.” 

“ Surely, sir,” cried the impatient Elizabeth, “ those laws that 
condemn a man like the Leather-stocking to so severe a punish- 
ment, for an offence that even I must think very venial, cannot 
be perfect in themselves.” 

“ Thou talkest of what thou dost not understand, Elizabeth,” 
returned her father. “ Society cannot exist without wholesome 
restraints. Those restraints cannot be inflicted, without security 
and respect to the persons of those who administer them ; and 
it would sound ill indeed to report, that a judge had extended 
favor to a convicted criminal, because he had saved the life of 
his child.” 

“ I see — I see the difficulty of your situation, dear sir,” cried 
the daughter ; “ but in appreciating the offence of poor Natty, 
I cannot separate the minister of the law from the man.” 

“There thou talkest as a woman, child; it is not for an 


422 


THE PIONE ERS. 


assault on Hiram Doolittle, but for threatening the life of a 
constable, who was in the performance of ” 

“ It is immaterial whether it be one or the other,” interrupted 
Miss Temple, with a logic that contained more feeling than 
reason ; “ I know Natty to be innocent, and, thinking so, I must 
think all wrong who oppress him.” 

u His judge among the number ! thy father, Elizabeth ?” 

“ Nay, nay, nay ; do not put such questions to me ; give me 
my commission, father, and let me proceed to execute it.” 

The Judge paused a moment, smiling fondly on his child, 
and then dropped his hand affectionately on her shoulder, as he 
answered — 

“ Thou hast reason, Bess, and much of it too, but thy heart 
lies too near thy head. But listen : in this pocket-book are two 
hundred dollars. Go to the prison — there are none in this 
place to harm thee — give this note to the jailor, and when thou 
seest Bumppo, say what thou wilt to the poor old man ; give 
scope to the feelings of thy warm heart ; but try to remember, 
Elizabeth, that the laws alone remove us from the condition of 
the savages : that he has been criminal, and that his judge was 
thy father.” 

Miss Temple made no reply, but she pressed the hand that 
held the pocket-book to her bosom, and taking her friend by 
the arm, they issued together from the inclosure into the prin- 
cipal street of the village. 

As they pursued their walk in silence, under the row of 
houses, where the deeper gloom of the evening effectually con- 
cealed their persons, no sound reached them, excepting the 
slow tread of a yoke of oxen, with the rattling of a cart, that were 
moving along the street in the same direction with themselves. 
The figure of the teamster was just discernible by the dim light, 
lounging by the side of his cattle with a listless air, as if 
fatigued by the toil of the day. At the corner, where the jail 
stood, the progress of the ladies was impeded, for a moment, 
by the oxen, who were turned up to the side of the building, 
and given a lock of hay, which they had carried on their necks, 


THE PIONEERS. 


423 


as a reward for their patient labor. The whole of this was so 
natural, and so common, that Elizabeth saw nothing to induce 
a second glance at the team, until she heard the teamster 
speaking to his cattle in a low voice : — 

“ Mind yourself, Brindle ; will you, sir ! will you !” 

The language itself was unusual to oxen, with which all who 
dwell in a new country are familiar ; but there was something 
in the voice also, that startled Miss Temple. On turning the 
corner, she necessarily approached the man, and her look was 
enabled to detect the person of Oliver Edwards, concealed under 
the coarse garb of a teamster. Their eyes met at the same 
instant, and, notwithstanding the gloom, and the enveloping 
cloak of Elizabeth, the recognition was mutual. 

“ Miss Temple !” “ Mr. Edwards !” were exclaimed simulta- 
neously, though a feeling that seemed common to both, ren- 
dered the words nearly inaudible. 

“ Is it possible !” exclaimed Edwards, after the moment of 
doubt had passed ; “ do I see you so nigh the jail ! but you 
are going to the Rectory ; I beg pardon, Miss Grant, I believe ; 
I did not recognise you at first.” 

The sigh which Louisa uttered was so faint, that it was only 
heard by Elizabeth, who replied quickly — 

“ We are going not only to the jail, Mr. Edwards, but into 
it. We wish to show the Leather-stocking that we do not for- 
get his services, and that at the same time we must be just, we 
are also grateful. I suppose you are on a similar errand ; but 
let me beg that you will give us leave to precede you ten 
minutes. Good night, sir ; I — I — am quite sorry, Mr. Edwards, 
to see you reduced to such labor ; I am sure my father 
would ” 

“ I shall wait your pleasure, madam,” interrupted the youth, 
coldly. “ May I beg that you will not mention my being here ?” 

“ Certainly,” said Elizabeth, returning his bow by a slight 
inclination of her head, and urging the tardy Louisa forward. 
As they entered the jailor’s house, however, Miss Grant found 
leisure to whisper— 


424 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ Would it not be well to offer part of your money to Oliver? 
half of it will pay the fine of Bumppo ; and he is so unused to 
hardships ! I am sure my father will subscribe much of his 
little pittance, to place him in a station that is more worthy of 
him.” 

The involuntary smile that passed over the features of Eliza- 
beth was blended with an expression of deep and heartfelt 
pity. She did not reply, however, and the appearance of the 
jailor soon recalled the thoughts of both to the object of their 
visit. 

The rescue of the ladies, and their consequent interest in his 
prisoner, together with the informal manners that prevailed in 
the country, all united to prevent any surprise, on the part of 
the jailor, at their request for admission to Bumppo. The note 
of Judge Temple, however, would have silenced all objections, 
if he had felt them, and he led the way without hesitation to 
the apartment that held the prisoners. The instant the key 
was put into the lock, the hoarse voice of Benjamin was heard, 
demanding — 

“ Yo ! hoy ! who comes there ? ” 

“ Some visitors that you’ll be glad to see,” returned the jailor. 
“ What have you done to the lock, that it won’t turn ?” 

“ Handsomely, handsomely, master,” cried the steward ; “ I 
have just drove a nail into a berth along-side of this here bolt, 
as a stopper, d’ye see, so that Master Do-but-little can’t be run- 
ning in and breezing up another fight atwixt us ; for, to my 
account, there’ll be but a ban-yan with me soon, seeing that 
they’ll mulct me of my Spaniards, all the same as if I’d over- 
flogged the lubber. Throw your ship into the wind, and lay 
by for a small matter, will ye ? and I’ll soon clear a passage.” 

The sounds of hammering gave an assurance that the steward 
was in earnest, and in a short time the lock yielded, when the 
door was opened. 

Benjamin had evidently been anticipating the seizure of his 
money, for he had made frequent demands on the favorite 
cask at the “ Bold Dragoon,” during the afternoon and evening, 


THE PIONEERS. 


425 


and was now in that state which by marine imagery is called 
“ half-seas-over.” It was no easy thing to destroy the balance 
of the old tar by the effects of liquor, for, as he expressed it 
himself, “ he was too low-rigged not to carry sail in all wea- 
thers;” but he was precisely in that condition which is so 
expressively termed “ muddy.” When he perceived who the 
visitors were, he retreated to the side of the room where his 
pallet lay, and, regardless of the presence of his young mistress, 
seated himself on it with an ail* of great sobriety, placing his 
back firmly against the wall. 

“If you undertake to spoil my locks in this manner, Mr. 
Pump,” said the jailor, “ I shall put a stopper, as you call it, on 
your legs, and tie you down to your bed.” 

“ What for should ye, master ?” grumbled Benjamin ; “ I’ve 
rode out one squall to-day anchored by the heels, and I wants 
no more of them Where s the harm of doing all the same as 
yourself? Leave that there door free outboard, and you’ll find 
no locking inboard, I’ll promise ye.” 

“ I must shut up for the night at nine,” said the jailor, “ and 
it’s now forty-two minutes past eight.” He placed the little 
candle on a rough pine-table, and withdrew. 

“ Leather-stocking !” said Elizabeth, when the key of the door 
was turned on them again, “ my good friend Leather-stocking ! 
I have come on a message of gratitude. Had you submitted 
to the search, worthy old man, the death of the deer would 
have been a trifle, and all would have been well ” 

“ Submit to the sarch !” interrupted Natty, raising his face 
from resting on his knees, without rising from the corner where 
he had seated himself ; “ d’ye think, gal, I would let such a 
varmint into my hut ? No, no — I wouldn’t have opened the 
door to your own sweet countenance then. But they are 
wilcome to sarch among the coals and ashes now ; they'll find 
only some such heap as is to be seen at every pot-ashery in the 
mountains.” 

The old man dropped his face again on one hand, and 
seemed to be lost in melancholy. 




420 


THE PIONEERS. 


“The hut can be rebuilt, and made better than before,” 
returned Miss Temple; “and it shall be my office to see it 
done, when your imprisonment is ended.” 

“ Can ye raise the dead, child ?” said Natty, in a sorrowful 
voice : “ can ye go into the place where you’ve laid your 
fathers, and mothers, and children, and gather together their 
ashes, and make the same men and women of them as afore ? 
You do not know what ’tis to lay your head for more than 
forty years under the cover of the same logs, and to look on the 
same things for the better part of a man’s life. You are young 
yet, child, but you are one of the most precious of God’s crea- 
ters. I had a hope for ye that it might come to pass, but it’s 
all over now ; this put to that, will drive the thing quite out 
of his mind for ever.” 

Miss Temple must have understood the meaning of the 
old man better than the other listeners ; for, while Louisa stood 
innocently by her side, commiserating the griefs of the hunter, 
she bent her head aside, so as to conceal her features. The 
action and the feeling that caused it lasted but a moment. 

“ Other logs, and better, though, can be had, and shall 
be found for you, my old defender,” she continued. “ Your 
confinement will soon be over, and, before that time arrives, I 
shall have a house prepared for you, where you may spend the 
close of your harmless life in ease and plenty.” 

“ Ease and plenty ! house !” repeated Natty, slowly. “ You 
mean well, you mean well, and I quite mourn that it can- 
not be ; but he has seen me a sight and a laughing-stock 
for ” 

“ Damn your stocks,” said Benjamin, flourishing his bottle 
with one hand, from which he had been taking hasty and 
repeated draughts, while he made gestures of disdain with the 
other ; “ who cares for his bilboes ? there’s a leg that’s been 
stuck up an end like a jib-boom for an hour, d’ye see, and what’s 
it the worse for’t, ha ! canst tell me, what’s it the worser, ha !” 

“ I believe you forget, Mr. Pump, in whose presence you are,” 
suid Elizabeth. 


THE PIONEERS. 


427 


“ Forget you, Miss Lizzy,” returned the stewaid ; “if I do, 
darn’me ; you are not to be forgot, like Goody Prettybones, up 
at the big house there. 1 say, old sharp-shooter, she may have 
pretty bones, but I can’t say so much for her flesh, d’ye see, for 
she looks somewhat like an atomy with another man’s jacket on. 
Now, for the skin of her face, it’s all the same as a new top-sail 
with a taut bolt-rope, being snug at the leaches, but all in a bight 
about the inner cloths.” 

“ Peace — I command you to be silent, sir !” said Elizabeth. 

“ Ay, ay, ma’am,” returned the steward. “ You didn’t say I 
shouldn’t drink, though.” 

“We will not speak of what is to become of others,’ said 
Miss Temple, turning again to the hunter — “ but of your ow T n 
fortunes, Natty. It shall be my care to see that you pass the 
rest of your days in ease and plenty.” 

“ Ease and plenty !” again repeated the Leather-stocking ; 
“ what ease can there be to an old man, who must w T alk a mile 
across the open fields, before he can find a shade to hide 
him from a scorching sun ! or what plenty is there where you 
may hunt a day, and not start a buck, or see anything bigger 
than a mink, or maybe a stray fox ! Ah ! I shall have a hard 
time after them very beavers, for this fine. I must go low 
toward the Pennsylvany line in search of the creaters, maybe a 
hundred mile ; for they are not to be got here-away. No, no, 
— your betterments and clearings have druv the knowing things 
out of the country ; and instead of beaver-dams, which is the 
nater of the animal, and according to Providence, you turn back 
the waters over the low grounds with your mill-dams, as if 
’twas in man to stay the drops from going where He wills them 
to go. — Benny, unless you stop your hand from going so often 
to your mouth, you won’t be ready to start when the time 
comes.” 

“ Hark’ee, Master Bump-ho,” said the steward ; “ don’t you 
fear for Ben. When the watch is called, set me on my legs, 
and give me the bearings and distance of where you want 
to steer, and I’ll carry sail with the best of you, I will.” 


428 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ The time has come now,” said the hunter, listening ; 
* I hear the horns of the oxen rubbing ag’in the side of the 
jail.” 

“ Well, say the word, and then heave ahead, shipmate,” said 
Benjamin. 

“ You won’t betray us, gal ?” said Natty, looking simply into 
the face of Elizabeth — “ you won’t betray an old man, who 
craves to breathe the clear air of heaven ? I mean no harm ; 
and if the law says that I must pay the hundred dollars, I’ll take 
the season through, but it shall be forthcoming ; and this good 
man will help me.” 

“ You catch them,” said Benjamin, with a sweeping gesture 
of his arm, “ and if they get away again, call me a slink, that’s 
all.” 

“ But what mean you ?” cried the wondering Elizabeth. 
“ Here you must stay for thirty days ; but I have the money for 
your fine in this purse. Take it ; pay it in the morning, and 
summon patience for your month. I will come often to 
see you, with my friend ; we will make up your clothes with our 
own hands ; indeed, indeed, you shall be comfortable.” 

“Would ye, children?” said Natty, advancing across the 
floor with an air of kindness, and taking the hand of Elizabeth ; 
“would ye be so kearful of an old man, and just for shooting 
the beast which cost him nothing ? Such things doesn’t run in 
the blood, I believe, for you seem not to forget a favor. Your 
little fingers couldn’t do much on a buck-skin, nor be you used 
to such a thread as sinews. But if he hasn’t got past hearing, 
he shall hear it and know it, that he may see, like me, there is 
some who know how to remember a kindness.” 

“ Tell him nothing,” cried Elizabeth, earnestly ; “ if you love 
me, if you regard my feelings, tell him nothing. It is of your- 
self only I would talk, and for yourself only I act. I grieve, 
Leather-stocking, that the law requires that you should be 
detained here so long ; but, after all, it will be only a short 
month, and ” 

“ A month !” exclaimed Natty, opening his mouth with his 


THE PIONEERS. 


429 


usual laugh ; “ not a day, nor a night, nor an hour, gal. Judgo 
Temple may sintence, but he can’t keep, without a better dun- 
geon than this. I was taken once by the French, and they put 
sixty-two of us in a block-house, nigh hand to old Frontinac ; 
but ’twas easy to cut through a pine log to them that was used 
to timber.” The hunter paused, and looked cautiously around 
the room, when, laughing again, he shoved the steward gently 
from his post, and removing the bed-clothes, discovered a hole 
recently cut in the logs with a mallet and chisel. “ It’s only a 
kick, and the outside piece is off, and then ” 

“Off! ay, off!” cried Benjamin, rousing from his stupor; 
“ well, here’s off. Ay ! ay ! you catch ’em, and I’ll hold on to 
them said beaver-hats.” 

“ I fear this lad will trouble me much,” said Natty ; “ ’twill 
be a hard pull for the mountain, should they take the scent soon, 
and he is not in a state of mind to run.” 

“ Run !” echoed the steward ; “ no, sheer along-side, and let’s 
have a fight of it.” 

“ Peace !” ordered Elizabeth. 

“Ay, ay, ma’am.” 

“ You will not leave us, surely, Leather-stocking,” continued 
Miss Temple ; “ I beseech you, reflect that you will be driven 
to the woods entirely, and that you are fast getting old. Be 
patient for a little time, when you can go abroad openly, and 
with honor.” 

“ Is there beaver to be catched here, gal ?” 

“ If not, here is money to discharge the fine, and in a month 
you are free. See, here it is in gold.” 

“ Gold !” said Natty, with a kind of childish curiosity ; “ it’s 
long sin’ I’ve seen a gold piece. We used to get the broad joes, 
in the old war, as plenty as the bears be now. I remember there 
was a man in Dieskau’s army, that was killed, who had a dozen 
of the shining things sewed up in his shirt. I didn’t handle them 
myself, but I seen them cut out with my own eyes ; they was 
bigger and brighter than them be.” 


« 


430 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ These are English guineas, and are yours,’' said Elizabeth ; 
“ an earnest of what shall be done for you.” 

“Me ! why should you give me this treasure ?” said Natty, 
looking earnestly at the maiden. 

“ Why ! have you not saved my life ? did you not rescue me 
from the jaws of the beast ?” exclaimed Elizabeth, veiling her 
eyes, as if to hide some hideous object from her view. 

The hunter took the money, and continued turning it in his 
hand for some time, piece by piece, talking aloud during the 
operation. 

“ There’s a rifle, they say, out on the Cherry Valley, that will 
carry a hundred rods and kill. I’ve seen good guns in my day, 
but none quite equal to that. A hundred rods with any sar- 
tainty is great shooting ! Well, well — I’m old, and the gun I 
have will answer my time. Here, child, take back your gold. 
But the hour has come ; I hear him talking to the cattle, and I 
must be going. You won’t tell of us, gal — you won’t tell of us, 
will ye?” 

“ Tell of you !” echoed Elizabeth. “ But take the money, 
old man; take the money, even if you go into the moun- 
tains.” 

“ No, no,” said Natty, shaking his head kindly ; “ I would not 
rob you so for twenty rifles. But there’s one thing you can 
do for me, if ye will, that no other is at hand to do.” 

“ Name it — name it.” 

“ Why, it’s only to buy a canister of powder ; — ’twill cost 
two silver dollars. Benny Pump has the money ready, but we 
daren’t come into the town to get it. Nobody has it but the 
Frenchman. ’Tis of the best, and just suits a rifle. Will you 
get it for me, gal ? — say, will you get it for me ?” 

“ Will I ! I will bring it to you, Leather-stocking, though I 
toil a day in quest of you through the woods. But where shall 
I find you, and how ?” 

“ Where !” said Natty, musing a moment — “ to-morrow, on 
the Vision ; on the very top of the Vision, I’ll meet you, child, 


THE PIONEERS. 


431 


just as the sun gets over our heads. See that it’s the fine grain ; 
you’ll know it by the gloss and the price.” 

“ I will do it,” said Elizabeth, firmly. 

Natty now seated himself, and, placing his feet in the hole, 
with a slight effort he opened a passage through into the street. 
The ladies heard the rustling of hay, and well understood the 
reason why Edward was in the capacity of a teamster. 

“ Come, Benny,” said the hunter ; “ ’twill he no darker to- 
night, for the moon will rise in an hour.” 

“ Stay !” exclaimed Elizabeth ; “ it should not he said that 
you escaped in the presence of the daughter of Judge Temple. 
Return, Leather-stocking, and let us retire, before you execute 
your plan.” 

Natty was about to reply, when the approaching footsteps of 
the jailor announced the necessity of his immediate return. 
He had barely time to regain his feet, and to conceal the hole 
with the bed-clothes, across which Benjamin very opportunely 
fell, before the key was turned, and the door of the apartment 
opened. 

“ Isn’t Miss Temple ready to go ?” said the civil jailor : — ■“ it’s 
the usual hour for locking up.” 

“ I follow you, sir,” returned Elizabeth, “ good night, Leather- 
stocking.” 

“ It’s a fine grain, gal, and I think ’twill carry lead further 
than common. I am getting old, and can’t follow up the game 
with the step that I used to could.” 

Miss Temple waved her hand for silence, and preceded 
Louisa and the keeper from the apartment. The man turned 
the key once, and observed that he would return and secure his 
prisoners, when he had lighted the ladies to the street. Accord- 
ingly, they parted at the door of the building, when the jailor 
retired to his dungeons, and the ladies walked, with throbbing 
hearts, towards the corner. 

“ Now the Leather-stocking refuses the money,” whispered 
Louisa, “ it can all be given to Mr. Edwards, and that added 


432 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ Listen !” said Elizabeth ; “ I hear the rustling of the hay ; 
they are escaping at this moment. Oh ! they will be detected 
instantly !” 

By this time they were at the corner, where Edwards and 
Natty were in the act of drawing the almost helpless body of 
Benjamin through the aperture. The oxen had started back 
from their hay, and were standing with their heads down the 
street, leaving room for the party to act in. 

“Throw the hay into the cart,” said Edwards^ “or they will 
suspect how it has been done. Quick, that they may not 
see it.” 

Natty had just returned from executing this order, when the 
light of the keeper’s candle shone through the hole, and 
instantly his voice was heard in the jail, exclaiming for his 
prisoners. 

“ What is to be done now ?” said Edwards — “ this drunken 
fellow will cause our detection, and we have not a moment to 
spare.” 

“ Who’s drunk, ye lubber !” muttered the steward. 

“ A break-jail ! a break-jail !” shouted five or six voices from 
within. 

“We must leave him,” said Edwards. 

“ ’Twouldn’t be kind, lad,” returned Natty ; “ he took half 
the disgrace of the stocks on himself to-day, and the creater 
has feeling.” 

At this moment two or three men were heard issuing from 
the door of the “ Bold Dragoon,” and among them the voice of 
Billy Kirby. 

“ There’s no moon yet,” cried the wood-chopper ; “ but it’s a 
clear night. Come, who’s for home ? Hark ! what a rumpus 
they’re kicking up in the jail — here’s go and see what it’s 
about.” 

“We shall be lost,” said Edwards, “ if we don’t drop this 
man.” 

At that instant Elizabeth moved close to him, and said 
rapidly, in a low voice — 


THE PIONEERS. 


433 

“ Lay him in the cart, and start the oxen ; no one will look 
there.” 

“ There’s a woman’s quickness in the thought,” said the 
youth. 

The proposition was no sooner made than executed. The 
steward was seated on the hay, and enjoined to hold his peace, 
and apply the goad that was placed in his hand, while the oxen 
were urged on. So soon as this arrangement was completed, 
Edwards and the hunter stole along the houses for a short dis- 
tance, when they disappeared through an opening that led into 
the rear of the buildings. The oxen were in brisk motion, and 
presently the cries of pursuit were heard in the street. The 
ladies quickened their pace, with a wish to escape the crowd of 
constables and idlers that were approaching, some execrating, 
and some laughing at the exploit of the prisoners. In the con- 
fusion, the voice of Kirby was plainly distinguishable above all 
the others, shouting and swearing that he would have the fugi- 
tives, threatening to bring back Natty in one pocket, and Ben- 
jamin in the other. 

“ Spread yourselves, men,” he cried, as he passed the ladies, 
his heavy feet sounding along the street like the tread of a 
dozen ; “ spread yourselves ; to the mountains ; they’ll be in 
the mountain in a quarter of an hour, and then look out for a 
long rifle.” 

His cries were echoed from twenty mouths, for not only the 
jail, but the taverns had sent forth their numbers, some earnest 
in the pursuit, and others joining it as in sport. 

As Elizabeth turned in at her father’s gate, she saw the wood- 
chopper stop at the cart, when she gave Benjamin up for lost. 
While they were hurrying up the walk, two figures, stealing 
cautiously but quickly under the shades of the trees, met the 
eyes of the ladies, and in a moment Edwards and the hunter 
crossed their path. 

“ Miss Temple, I may never see you again,” exclaimed the 
youth ; “ let me thank you for all your kindness ; you do not, 
cannot know, my motives.” 


19 


434 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ Fly ! fly !” cried Elizabeth : — “ the village is alarmed. Do 
not be found conversing with me at such a moment, and in 
these grounds.” 

“ Nay, I must speak, though detection were certain.” 

“ Your retreat to the bridge is already cut off ; before you 
can gain the wood your pursuers will be there. — If — ” 

“If what?” cried the youth. “Your advice has saved me 
once already ; I wall follow it to death.” 

“ The street is now silent and vacant,” said Elizabeth, after a 
pause ; “ cross it, and you will find ray father’s boat in the 
lake. It would be easy to land from it where you please in the 
hills.” 

“ But Judge Temple might complain of the trespass.” 

“ His daughter shall be accountable, sir.” 

The youth uttered something in a low voice, that was heard 
only by Elizabeth, and turned to execute what she had sug- 
gested. As they were separating, Natty approached the 
females, and said — 

“ You’ll remember the canister of powder, children. Them 
beavers must be had, and I and the pups be getting old ; we 
want the best of ammunition.” 

“ Come, Natty,” said Edwards, impatiently. 

“ Coming, lad, coming. God bless you, young ones, both of 
ye, for ye mean well and kindly to the old man.” 

The ladies paused until they had lost sight of the retreating 
figures, when they immediately entered the Mansion-house. 

While this scene w 7 as passing in the walk, Kirby had over- 
taken the cart, which was his own, and had been driven by 
Edwards without asking the owner, from the place where the 
patient oxen usually stood at evening, waiting the pleasure of 
their master. 

“ Woa — come hither, Golden,” he cried ; “ why, how come 
you off the end of the bridge, where I left you, dummies ?” 

“ Heave ahead,” muttered Benjamin, giving a random blow 
with his lash, that alighted on the shoulder of the other. 

“ Who the devil be you ?” cried Billy, turning round in sur- 


THE PIONEERS. 


435 


prise, but unable to distinguish, in the dark, the hard visage 
that was just peering over the cart-rails. 

“ Who be I 2 why I’m helmsman aboard of this here craft, 
d’ye see, and a straight wake I’m making of it. Ay, ay ! I’ve 
got the bridge right ahead, and the bilboes dead-aft ; I calls 
that good steerage, boy. Heave ahead.” 

“ Lay your lash in the right spot, Mr. Benny Pump,” said 
the wood-chopper, “ or I’ll put you in the palm of my hand, 
and box your ears. Where be you going with my team 2” 

“ Team !” 

“ Ay, my cart and oxen.” 

“ Why, you must know, Master Kirby, that the Leather- 
stocking and I — that’s Benny Pump — you knows Ben 2 — well, 
Benny and I — no, me and Benny ; dam’me if I know how ’tis ; 
but some of us are bound after a cargo of beaver-skins, d’ye 
see, aud so we’ve pressed the cart to ship them ’ome in. I say, 
Master Kirby, what a lubberly oar you pull — you handle an oar, 
boy, pretty much as a cow would a musket, or a lady would a 
marling-spike.” 

Billy had discovered the state of the steward’s mind, and he 
walked for some time alongside of the cart, musing with him- 
self, when he took the goad from Benjamin (who fell back on 
the hay and was soon asleep), and drove his cattle down the 
street, over the bridge, and up the mountain, towards a clearing, 
in which he was to work the next day, without any other 
interruption than a few hasty questions from parties of the con- 
stables. 

Elizabeth stood for an hour at the window of her room, and 
saw the torches of the pursuers gliding along the side of the 
mountain, and heard their shouts and alarms ; but, at the end 
of that time, the last party returned, wearied and disappointed, 
and the village became as still as when she issued from the gate 
on her mission to the jail. 


436 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 


" And I could weep”— th’ Oneida chief 
His descant wildly thus begun — 

“ But that I may not stain with grief 
The death song of my father’s son.” 

Gertrude of Wyomino. 


It was yet early on the following morning, when Elizabeth 
and Louisa met by appointment, and proceeded to the store of 
Monsieur Le Quoi, in order to redeem the pledge the former 
had given to the Leather-stocking. The people were again 
assembling for the business of the day, but the hour was too 
soon for a crowd, and the ladies found the place in possession 
of its polite owner, Billy Kirby, one female customer, and the 
boy who did the duty of helper or clerk. 

Monsieur Le Quoi was perusing a packet of letters with 
manifest delight, while the wood-chopper, with one hand thrust 
in his bosom, and the other in the folds of his jacket, holding 
an axe under his right arm, stood sympathizing in the French- 
man’s pleasure with good-natured interest. The freedom of 
manners that prevailed in the new settlements commonly 
levelled all difference in rank, and with it, frequently, all con- 
siderations of education and intelligence. At the time the 
ladies entered the store, they were unseen by the owner, who 
was saying to Kirby — 

“ Ah ! ha ! Monsieur Beel, dis lettair mak me de most happi 
of mans. Ah ! ma chere France ! I vill see you aga’n.” 

“ I rejoice, Monsieur, at anything that contributes to your 
happiness,” said Elizabeth, “ but hope we are not going to lose 
you entirely.” 

The complaisant shopkeeper changed the language to French, 
and recounted rapidly to Elizabeth his hopes of being permitted 


THE PIONEERS. 


437 


to return to his own country. Habit had, however, so far 
altered the manners of this pliable personage, that he continued 
to serve the wood-chopper, who was in quest of some tobacco, 
while he related to his more gentle visitor the happy change 
that had taken place in the dispositions of his own countrymen. 

The amount of it all was, that Mr. Le Quoi, who had fled 
from his own country more through terror than because he 
was offensive to the ruling powers in France, had succeeded at 
length in getting an assurance, that his return to the West 
Indies would be unnoticed ; and the Frenchman, who had sunk 
into the character of a country shopkeeper with so much grace, 
was about to emerge again from his obscurity into his proper 
level in society. 

We need not repeat the civil things that passed between the 
parties on this occasion, nor recount the endless repetitions of 
sorrow that the delighted Frenchman expressed, at being com- 
pelled to quit the society of Miss Temple. Elizabeth took an 
opportunity, during this expenditure of polite expressions, to 
purchase the powder privately of the boy, who bore the generic 
appellation of Jonathan. Before they parted, however, Mr. Le 
Quoi, who seemed to think that he had not said enough, soli- 
cited the honor of a private interview with the heiress, with a 
gravity in his air that announced the importance of the subject. 
After conceding the favor, and appointing a more favorable 
time for the meeting, Elizabeth succeeded in getting out of the 
store, into which the countrymen now began to enter, as usual, 
where they met with the same attention and bienseance as 
formerly. 

Elizabeth and Louisa pursued their walk as far as the bridge 
in profound silence ; but when they reached that place, the 
latter stopped, and appeared anxious to utter something that 
her diffidence suppressed. 

“ Are you ill, Louisa ?” exclaimed Miss Temple ; “ had we 
not better return, and seek another opportunity to meet the old 
man ?” 

“ Not ill, but terrified. Oh ! I never, never can go on that 


438 


THE PIONEERS. 


hill again with you only. I am not equal to it, indeed I am 
not.” 

This was an unexpected declaration to Elizabeth, who, 
although she experienced no idle apprehension of a danger 
that no longer existed, felt most sensitively all the delicacy of 
maiden modesty. She stood for some time, deeply reflecting 
within herself ; but, sensible it was a time for action instead of 
reflection, she struggled to shake off her hesitation, and replied 
firmly — 

“ Well, then it must be done by me alone. There is no 
other than yourself to be trusted, or poor old Leather-stocking 
will be discovered. Wait for me in the edge of these woods, 
that at least I may not be seen strolling in the hills by myself 
just now. One would not wish to create remarks, Louisa — if 
— if — You will wait for me, dear girl ?” 

“A year, in sight of the village, Miss Temple,” returned 
the agitated Louisa, “ but do not, do not ask me to go on that 
hill.” 

Elizabeth found that her companion was really unable to 
proceed, and they completed their arrangement by posting 
Louisa out of the observation of the people who occasionally 
passed, but nigh the road, and in plain view of the whole 
valley. Miss Temple then proceeded alone. She ascended the 
road which has been so often mentioned in our narrative, with 
an elastic and firm step, fearful that the delay in the store of 
Mr. Le Quoi, and the time necessary for reaching the summit, 
would prevent her being punctual to the appointment. When- 
ever she passed an opening in the bushes, she would pause for 
breath, or, perhaps, drawn from her pursuit by the picture at 
her feet, would linger a moment to gaze at the beauties of the 
valley. The long drought had, however, changed its coat of 
verdure to a hue of brown, and, though the same localities 
were there, the view wanted the lively and cheering aspect of 
early summer. Even the heavens seemed to share in the dried 
appearance of the earth, for the sun was concealed by a hazi- 
ness in the atmosphere, which looked like a thin smoke without 


THE PIONEERS. 


43i# 


a particle of moisture, if such a thing were possible. The blu6 
sky was scarcely to be seen, though now and then there was a 
faint lighting up in spots, through which masses of rolling 
vapor could be discerned gathering around the horizon, as if 
nature were struggling to collect her floods fbr the relief of man. 
The very atmosphere that Elizabeth inhaled was hot and dry, 
and by the time she reached the point where the course led 
her from the highway, she experienced a sensation like suffoca- 
tion. But, disregarding her feelings, she hastened to execute 
her mission, dwelling on nothing but the disappointment, and even 
the helplessness, the hunter would experience, without her aid. 

On the summit of the mountain which Judge Temple had 
named the “Vision,” a little spot had been cleared, in order 
that a better view might be obtained of the village and the val- 
ley. At this point Elizabeth understood the hunter she was to 
meet him ; and thither she urged her way, as expeditiously as 
the difficulty of the ascent, and the impediments of a forest, in a 
state of nature, would admit. Numberless were the fragments 
of rocks, trunks of fallen trees, and branches, with which she 
had to contend ; but every difficulty vanished before her resolu- 
tion, and by her own watch, she stood on the desired spot 
several minutes before the appointed hour. 

After resting a moment on the end of a log, Miss Temple 
cast a glance about her in quest of her old friend, but he was 
evidently not in the clearing ; she arose and walked around its 
skirts, examining every place where she thought it probable 
Natty might deem it prudent to conceal himself. Her search 
was fruitless ; and, after exhausting not only herself, but her 
conjectures, in efforts to discover or imagine his situation, she 
ventured to trust her voice in that solitary place. 

“Natty! Leather-stocking! old man!” she called aloud, in 
every direction ; but no answer was given, excepting the rever- 
berations of her own clear tones, as they were echoed in the 
parched forest. 

Elizabeth approached the brow of the mountain, where a 
faint cry, like the noise produced by striking the hand against 


•140 


THE PIONEERS. 


the mouth, at the same time that the breath is strongly exhaled, 
was heard answering to her own voice. Not doubting in the 
least that it was the Leather-stocking lying in wait for her, and 
who gave that signal to indicate the place where he was to be 
found, Elizabeth descended for near a hundred feet, until she 
gained a little natural terrace, thinly scattered with trees, that 
grew in the fissures of the rocks, which were covered by a 
scanty soil. She had advanced to the edge of this platform, 
and was gazing over the perpendicular precipice that formed its 
face, when a rustling among the dry leaves near her drew her 
eyes in another direction. Our heroine certainly was startled 
by the object that she then saw, but a moment restored her self- 
possession, and she advanced firmly, and with some interest in 
her manner, to the spot. 

Mohegan was seated on the trunk of a fallen oak, with his 
tawny visage turned towards her, and his eyes fixed on her face 
with an expression of wildness and fire, that would have terrified 
a less resolute female. His blanket had fallen from his shoul- 
ders, and was lying in folds around him, leaving his breast, 
arms, and most of his body bare. The medallion of Washing- 
ton reposed on his chest, a badge of distinction that Elizabeth 
well knew he only produced on great and solemn occasions. 
But the whole appearance of the aged chief was more studied 
than common, and in some particulars it was terrific. The 
long black hair was plaited on his head, falling away, so as to 
expose his high forehead and piercing eyes. In the enormous 
incisions of his ears were entwined ornaments of silver, beads, 
and porcupine’s quills, mingled in a rude taste, and after the 
Indian fashions. A large drop, composed of similar materials, 
was suspended from the cartilage of his nose, and, falling below 
his lips, rested on his chin. Streaks of red paint crossed his 
wrinkled brow, and were traced down his cheeks, with such 
variations in the lines as caprice or custom suggested. His 
body was also colored in the same manner ; the whole exhibit- 
ing an Indian warrior, prepared for some event of more than 
usual moment. 


THE PIONEERS. 


441 


“ John ! how fare you, worthy John ?” said Elizabeth, as she 
approached him ; “ you have long been a stranger in the village. 
You promised me a willow basket, and I have long had a shirt 
of calico in readiness for you.” 

The Indian looked steadily at her for some time without 
answering, and then, shaking his head, he replied, in his low, 
guttural tones — 

“John’s hand can make baskets no more — he wants no 
shirt.” 

“ But if he should, he will know where to come for it,” 
returned Miss Temple. “ Indeed, old John, I feel as if you had 
a natural right to order what you will from us.” 

“Daughter,” said the Indian, “listen: — Six times ten hot 
summers have passed, since John was young ; tall like a pine ; 
straight like the bullet of Hawk-eye ; strong as the buffalo ; spry 
as the cat of the mountain. He was strong, and a warrior like 
the Young Eagle. If his tribe wanted to track the Maquas for 
many suns, the eye of Chingachgook found the print of their 
moccasins. If the people feasted and were glad, as they counted 
the scalps of their enemies, it was on his pole they hung. If 
the squaws cried because there was no meat for their children, 
he was the first in the chase. His bullet was swifter than the 
deer. — Daughter, then Chingachgook struck his tomahawk into 
the trees ; it was to tell the lazy ones where to find him and 
the Mingoes — but he made no baskets.” 

“Those times have gone by, old warrior,” returned Eliza- 
beth ; “ since then your people have disappeared, and, in place 
of chasing your enemies, you have learned to fear God and to 
live at peace.” 

“ Stand here, daughter, where you can see the great spring, 
the wigwams of your father, and the land on the crooked river. 
John was young when his tribe gave away the country, in coun- 
cil, from where the blue mountain stands above the water, to 
where the Susquehanna is hid by the trees. All this, and all 
that grew in it, and all that walked over it, and all that fed 
there, they gave to the Fire eater — for they loved him. He was 
19 * 


442 


THE PIONEERS. 


strong, and tlicy were women, and he helped them. No Dela- 
ware would kill a deer that ran in his woods, nor stop a bird 
that flew over his land ; for it was his. Has John lived in 
peace ? Daughter, since J ohn was young, he has seen the 
white man from Frontinac come down on his white brothers at 
Albany and fight. Did they fear God ? He has seen his 
English and his American fathers burying their tomahawks in 
each other’s brains, for this very land. Did they fear God, and 
live in peace ? He has seen the land pass away from the Fire- 
eater, and his children, and the child of his child, and a new 
chief set over the country. Did they live in peace who did 
this ? did they fear God ?” 

“ Such is the custom of the whites, John. Do not the Dela- 
wares fight, and exchange their lands for powder, and blankets, 
and merchandise ?” 

The Indian turned his dark eyes on his companion, and kept 
them there with a scrutiny that alarmed her a little. 

“ Where are the blankets and merchandise that bought the 
right of the Fire-eater ?” he replied, in a more animated voice ; 
“ are they with him in his wigwam ? Did they say to him, 
Brother, sell us your land, and take this gold, this silver, these 
blankets, these rifles, or even this rum ? No ; they tore it from 
him, as a scalp is torn from an enemy ; and they that did it 
looked not behind them, to see whether he lived or died. Do 
such men live in peace, and fear the Great Spirit 3” 

“ But you hardly understand the circumstances,” said Eliza- 
beth, more embarrassed than she would own, even to herself. 
“ If you knew our laws and customs better, you would judge 
differently of our acts. Do not believe evil of my father, old 
Mohegan, for he is just and good.” 

“ The brother of Miquon is good, and he will do right. I 
have said it to Hawk-eye — I have said it to the Young Eagle, 
that the brother of Miquon would do justice.” 

“ Whom call you the Young Eagle ?” said Elizabeth, avert- 
ing her face from the gaze of the Indian, as she asked the 
question ; “ whence comes he, and what are his rights ?” 


THE PIONEERS. 


443 


“ Has my daughter lived so long with him to ask this ques- 
tion ?” returned the Indian warily. “ Old age freezes up the 
blood, as the frosts cover the great spring in winter ; but 
youth keeps the streams of the blood open like a sun in the 
time of blossoms. The Young Eagle has eyes; had he no 
tongue ?” 

The loveliness to which the old warrior alluded was in no 
degree diminished by his allegorical speech ; for the blushes of 
the maiden who listened covered her burning cheeks, till her 
dark eyes seemed to glow with their reflection ; but, after strug- 
gling a moment with shame, she laughed, as if unwilling to 
understand him seriously, and replied in pleasantry — 

“ Not to make me the mistress of his secret. * He is too much 
of a Delaware to tell his secret thoughts to a woman.” 

“ Daughter, the Great Spirit made your father with a white 
skin, and he made mine with a red ; hut he colored both their 
hearts with blood. When young, it is swift and warm ; but 
when old, it is still and cold. Is there difference below 
the skin ? No. Once John had a woman. She was the 
mother of so many sons” — he raised his hand with three 
fingers elevated — “ and she had daughters that would have 
made the young Delawares happy. She was kind, daughter, 
and what I said she did. You have different fashions ; but do 
you think John did not love the wife of his youth — the mother 
of his children ?” 

“ And what has become of your family, John, your wife and 
your children ?” asked Elizabeth, touched by the Indian’s 
manner. 

“ Where is the ice that covered the great spring ? It is 
melted, and gone with the waters. John has lived till all his 
people have left him for the land of spirits ; his time has come, 
and he is ready.” 

Mohegan dropped his head in his blanket, and sat in silence. 
Miss Temple knew not what to say. She wished to draw the 
thoughts of the old warrior from his gloomy recollections, but 
there was a dignity in his sorrow, and in his fortitude, that 


444 


THE PIONEERS. 


repressed her efforts to speak. After a long pause, however, 
she renewed the discourse, by asking — 

“ Where is the Leather-stocking, John ? I have brought this 
canister of powder at his request ; but he is nowhere to be seen. 
Will you take charge of it, and see it delivered ?” 

The Indian raised his head slowly, and looked earnestly at the 
gift, which she put into his hand. 

“ This is the great enemy of my nation. Without this, when 
could the white men drive the Delawares ? Daughter, the 
Great Spirit gave your fathers to know how to make guns and 
powder, that they might sweep the Indians from the land. 
There will soon be no redskin in the country. When John has 
gone, the last will leave these hills, and his family will be dead.” 
The aged warrior stretched his body forward, leaning an elbow 
on his knee, and appeared to be taking a parting look at the 
objects of the vale, which were still visible through the misty 
atmosphere, though the air seemed to thicken at each moment 
around Miss Temple, who became conscious of an increased dif- 
ficulty of respiration. The eye of Mohegan changed gradually 
from its sorrowful expression to a look of wildness that might 
be supposed to border on the inspiration of a prophet, as he 
continued — “ But he will go to the country where his fathers 
have met. The game shall be plenty as the fish in the lakes. 
No woman shall cry for meat ; no Mingo can ever come. The 
chase shall be for children ; and all just red men shall live 
together as brothers.” 

“ John ! this is not the heaven of a Christian !” cried Miss 
Temple ; “ you deal now in the superstition of your forefathers.” 

“ Fathers ! sons !” said Mohegan with firmness — “ all gone — 
all gone ! — I have no son but the Young Eagle, and he has the 
blood of a white man.” 

“ Tell me, John,” said Elizabeth, willing to draw his thoughts 
to other subjects, and at the same time yielding to her own 
powerful interest in the youth ; “ who is this Mr. Edwards ? 
why are you so fond of him, and whence does he come ?” 

The Indian started at the question, which evidently recalled 


THE PIONEERS. 


445 


his recollection to earth. Taking her hand, he drew Miss 
Temple to a seat beside him, and pointed to the country 
beneath them — 

“ See, daughter,” he said, directing her looks towards the 
north ; “ as far as your young eyes can see, it was the land of 
his ” 

But immense volumes of smoke at that moment rolled over 
their heads, and, whirling in the eddies formed by the moun- 
tains, interposed a barrier to their sight, while he was speaking. 
Startled by this circumstance, Miss Temple sprang on her feet, 
and turning her eyes towards the summit of the mountain, she 
beheld it covered by a similar canopy, while a roaring sound 
was heard in the forest above her like the rushing of winds. 

“ What means it, John !” she exclaimed ; “ we are enveloped 
in smoke, and I feel a heat like the glow of a furnace.” 

Before the Indian could reply, a voice was heard crying in 
the woods — 

“John ! where are you, old Mohegan ! the woods are on 
fire, and you have but a minute for escape.” 

The chief put his hand before his mouth, and making it play 
on his lips, produced the kind of noise that had attracted Eliza- 
beth to the place, when a quick and hurried step was heard 
dashing through the dried underbrush and bushes, and 
presently Edwards rushed to his side, with horror in every 
feature. 


440 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Love rules the court, the camp, the grove. 

Lay of the La^V Minstrel. 

“ It would have been sad, indeed, to lose yc u in such a 
manner, my old friend,” said Oliver, catching his breath for^ 
utterance. “ Up and away ! even now we may be too late ; 
the flames are circling round the point of the rock below, and, 
unless we can pass there, our only chance must be over the 
precipice. Away ! away ! shake off your apathy, John ; now 
is the time of need.” 

Mohegan pointed towards Elizabeth, who, forgetting her 
danger, had shrunk back to a projection of the rock as soon as 
she recognised the sounds of Edwards’s voice, and said with 
something like awakened animation — 

“ Save her — leave John to die.” 

“ Her ! whom mean you ?” cried the youth, turning quickly 
to the place the other indicated ; — but when he saw the figure 
of Elizabeth bending towards him in an attitude that power- 
fully spoke terror, blended with reluctance to meet him in such 
a place, the shock deprived him of speech. 

“ Miss Temple !” he cried, when he found words ; “ you here ! 
is such a death reserved for you !” 

“ No, no, no — no death, I hope, for any of us, Mr. Edwards,” 
she replied, endeavoring to speak calmly : “ there is smoke, but 
no fire to harm us. Let us endeavor to retire.” 

“ Take my arm,” said Edwards ; “ there must be an opening 
in some direction for your retreat. Are you equal to the 
effort !” 

“ Certainly. You surely magnify the danger, Mr. Edwards. 
Lead me out the way you came.” 

“ I will — I will,” cried the youth with a kind of hysterical 


TIIE PIONEERS. 


447 


utterance. “ No, no — there is no danger — I have alarmed you 
unnecessarily.” 

“ But shall we leave the Indian — can we leave him, as he 
says, to die ?” 

An expression of painful emotion crossed the face of the 
young man ; he stopped, and cast a longing look at Mohegan ; 
but, dragging his companion after him, even against her will, 
he pursued his way with enormous strides towards the pass by 
which he had just entered the circle of flame. 

“ Do not regard him,” he said, in those tones that denote a 
desperate calmness ; “ he is used to the woods, and such 
scenes ; and he will escape up the mountain — over the rock — 
or he can remain where he is in safety.” 

“ You thought not so this moment, Edwards ! Do not leave 
him there to meet with such a death,” cried Elizabeth, fixing a 
look on the countenance of her conductor that seemed to distrust 
his sanity. 

“ An Indian burn ! who ever heard of an Indian dying by 
fire ? an Indian cannot burn ; the idea is ridiculous. Hasten, 
hasten, Miss Temple, or the smoke may incommode you.” 

“ Edwards ! your look, your eye, terrifies me ! tell me the 
danger ; is it greater than it seems ? I am equal to any trial ?” 

“ If we reach the point of yon rock before that sheet of fire, 
we are safe, Miss Temple ! ” exclaimed the young man, in a 
voice that burst without the bounds of his forced composure. 
“ Fly ! the struggle is for life ! ” 

The place of the interview between Miss Temple and the 
Indian has already been described as one of those platforms of 
rock, which form a sort of terrace in the mountains of that 
country, and the face of it, we have said, was both high and 
perpendicular. Its shape was nearly a natural arc, the ends of 
which blended with the mountain, at points where its sides were 
less abrupt in their descent. It was round one of these termina- 
tions of the sweep of the rock that Edwards had ascended, and 
it was towards the same place that he urged Elizabeth to a 
desperate exertion of speed. 


448 


THE PIONEERS. 


Immense clouds of white smoke had been pouring over the 
summit of the mountain, and had concealed the approach and 
ravages of the element ; but a crackling sound drew the eyes 
of Miss Temple, as she flew over the ground, supported by the 
young man, towards the outline of smoke, where she already 
perceived the waving flames shooting forward from the vapor, 
now flaring high in the air, and then bending to the earth, 
seeming to light into combustion every stick and shrub on 
which they breathed. The sight aroused them to redoubled 
efforts ; but, unfortunately, a collection of the tops of trees, old 
and dried, lay directly across their course ; and, at the very 
moment when both had thought their safety insured, the warm 
currents of the air swept a forked tongue of flame across the 
pile, which lighted at the touch ; and when they reached the 
spot, the flying pair were opposed by the surly roaring of a body 
of fire, as if a furnace were glowing in their path. They recoiled 
from the heat, and stood on a point of the rock, gazing in a 
stupor at the flames, which were spreading rapidly down the 
mountain, whose side soon became a sheet of living fire. It 
was dangerous for one clad in the light and airy dress of Eliza- 
beth to approach even the vicinity of the raging element ; and 
those flowing robes, that gave such softness and grace to her 
form, seemed now to be formed for the instruments of her 
destruction. 

The villagers were accustomed to resort to that hill in quest 
of timber and fuel ; in procuring which, it was their usage to 
take only the bodies of the trees, leaving the tops and branches 
to decay under the operations of the weather. Much of the 
hill was, consequently, covered with such light fuel, which, 
having been scorched under the sun for the last two months, 
was ignited with a touch. Indeed, in some cases, there did 
not appear to be any contact between the fire and these piles, 
but the flames seemed to dart from heap to heap, as the fabu- 
lous fire of the temple is represented to reillume its neglected 
lamp. 

There was beauty as well as terror in the sight, and Edwards 


THE PIONEERS. 


449 


and Elizabeth stood viewing the progress of the. desolation, 
with a strange mixture of horror and interest. The former, 
however, shortly roused himself to new exertions, and drawing 
his companion after him, they skirted the edge of the smoke, 
the young man penetrating frequently into its dense volumes in 
search of a passage, but in every instance without success. In 
this manner they proceeded in a semicircle around the upper 
part of the terrace, until, arriving at the verge of the precipice, 
opposite to the point where Edwards had ascended, the horrid 
conviction burst on both at the same instant, that they were 
completely encircled by the fire. So long as a single pass up 
or down the mountain was unexplored, there was hope ; but 
when retreat seemed to be absolutely impracticable, the horror 
of their situation broke upon Elizabeth as powerfully as if she 
had hitherto considered the danger light. 

“ This mountain is doomed to be fatal to me ! ” she whisper- 
ed ; — “ we shall find our graves on it ! ” 

“ Say not so, Miss Temple ; there is yet hope,” returned the 
youth, in the same tone, while the vacant expression of his eye 
contradicted his words : “ let us return to the point of the rock ; 
there is — there must be — some place about it where we can 
descend.” 

“ Lead me there,” exclaimed Elizabeth ; “ let us leave no 
effort untried.” She did not wait for his compliance, but, 
turning, retraced her steps to the brow of the precipice, mur- 
muring to herself, in suppressed, hysterical sobs, “ My father ! 
my poor, my distracted father ! ” 

Edwards was by her side in an instant, and with aching eyes 
he examined every fissure in the crags, in quest of some opening 
that might offer facilities for flight. But the smooth, even 
surface of the rocks afforded hardly a resting-place for a foot, 
much less those continued projections which would have been 
necessary for a descent of nearly a hundred feet. Edwards was 
not slow in feeling the conviction that this hope was also futile, 
and, with a kind of feverish despair that still urged him to 
action, he turned to some new expedient. 


450 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ There js nothing left, Miss Temple,” he said, “ but to lower 
you from this place to the rock beneath. If Natty were here, 
or even that Indian could be roused, their ingenuity and long 
practice would easily devise methods to do it ; but I am a child 
at this moment in everything but daring. Where shall I find 
means ? This dress of mine is so light, and there is so little of 
it — then the blanket of Mohegan ; — we must try — we must try 
— anything is better than to see you a victim to such a 
death!” 

“ And what will become of you ? ” said Elizabeth. “ Indeed, 
indeed, neither you nor John must be sacrificed to my safety.” 

He heard her not, for he was already by the side of Mohegan, 
who yielded his blanket without a question, retaining his seat 
with Indian dignity and composure, though his own situation 
was even more critical than that of the others. The blanket 
was cut into shreds, and the fragments fastened together ; the 
loose linen jacket of the youth, and the light muslin shawl of 
Elizabeth, were attached to them, and the whole thrown over 
the rocks, with the rapidity of lightning; but the united pieces 
did not reach half way to the bottom. 

“ It will not do — it will not do ! ” cried Elizabeth ; “ for me 
there is no hope ! The fire comes slowly, but certainly. See, 
it destroys the very earth before it ! ” 

Had the flames spread on that rock with half the quickness 
with which they leaped from bush to tree, in other parts of the 
mountain, our painful task would have soon ended ; for they 
would have consumed already the captives they inclosed. But 
the peculiarity of their situation afforded Elizabeth and her 
companion the respite of which they had availed themselves to 
make the efforts we have recorded. 

The thin covering of earth on the rock supported but a scanty 
and faded herbage, and most of the trees that had found root in 
the fissures had already died, during the intense heats of pre- 
ceding summers. Those which still retained the appearance of 
life bore a few dry and withered leaves, while the others were 
merely the wrecks of pines, oaks, and maples. No better mate- 


THE PIONEERS. 


451 


rials to feed the fire could be found, had there been a communi- 
cation with the flames ; but the ground was destitute of the 
brush that led the destructive element, like a torrent, over the 
remainder of the hill. As auxiliary to this scarcity of fuel, one 
of the large springs which abound in that country gushed out 
of the side of the ascent above, and, after creeping sluggishly 
along the level land, saturating the mossy covering of the rock 
with moisture, it swept round the base of the little cone that 
formed the pinnacle of the mountain, and, entering the canopy 
of smoke near one of the terminations of the terrace, found its 
way to the lake, not by dashing from rock to rock, but by the 
secret channels of the earth. It would rise to the surface, here 
and there, in the wet seasons, but in the droughts of summer it 
was to be traced only by the bogs and moss that announced 
the proximity of water. When the fire reached this barrier, it 
was compelled to pause, until a concentration of its heat could 
overcome the moisture, like an army waiting the operations of 
a battering train, to open its way to desolation. 

That fatal moment seemed now to have arrived, for the hiss- 
ing steams of the spring appeared to be nearly exhausted, and 
the moss of the rocks was already curling under the intense 
heat, while fragments of bark, that yet clung to the dead trees, 
began to separate from their trunks, and fall to the ground in 
crumbling masses. The air seemed quivering with rays of heat, 
which might be seen playing along the parched stems of the 
trees. There were moments when dark clouds of smoke would 
sweep along the little terrace ; and, as the eye lost its power, 
the other senses contributed to give effect to the fearful horror 
of the scene. At such moments, the roaring of the flames, the 
crackling of the furious element, with the tearing of falling 
branches, and, occasionally, the thundering echoes of some 
falling tree, united to alarm the victims. Of the three, how- 
ever, the youth appeared much the most agitated. Elizabeth, 
having relinquished entirely the idea of escape, was fast obtain- 
ing that resigned composure with which the most delicate of 
her sex are sometimes known to meet unavoidable evils ; while 


452 


THE PIONEERS. 


Mohegan, who was much nearer to the danger, maintained his 
seat with the invincible resignation of an Indian warrior. Once 
or twice the eye of the aged chief, which was ordinarily fixed in 
the direction of the distant hills, turned towards the young pair, 
who seemed doomed to so early a death, with a slight indication 
of pity crossing his composed features, but it would immediately 
revert again to its former gaze, as if already looking into the 
womb of futurity. Much of the time he was chanting a kind 
of low dirge, in the Delaware tongue, using the deep and 
remarkably guttural tones of his people. 

“ At such a moment, Mr. Edwards, all earthly distinctions 
end,” whispered Elizabeth ; “ persuade John to move nearer to 
us — let us die together.” 

“ I cannot — he will not stir,” returned the youth, in the same 
horridly still tones. “ He considers this as the happiest moment 
of his life. He is past seventy, and has been decaying rapidly 
for some time : he received some injury in chasing that unlucky 
deer, too, on the lake. Oh ! Miss Temple that was an unlucky 
chase indeed ! it has led, I fear, to this awful scene.” 

The smile of Elizabeth was celestial ; “ Why name such a 
trifle now — at this moment the heart is dead to all earthly 
emotions !” 

“ If anything could reconcile a man to this death,” cried the 
youth, “ it would be to meet it in such company !” 

“ Talk not so, Edwards, talk not so,” interrupted Miss Temple. 
“I am unworthy of it; and it is unjust to yourself. We must 
die ; yes — yes — we must die — it is the will of God, and let us 
endeavor to submit like his own children.” 

“Die !” the youth rather shrieked than exclaimed, “ No — no 
— no — there must yet be hope — you at least must not, shall not 
die.” 

“ In what way can we escape ?” asked Elizabeth, pointing 
with a look of heavenly composure towards the fire. “ Observe ! 
the flame is crossing the barrier of wet ground — it comes slowly, 
Edwards, but surely. — Ah! see! the tree! the tree is already 
lighted !” 


THE PIONEERS. 


453 


Her words were too true. The heat of the conflagration had 
at length overcome the resistance of the spring, and the fire 
was slowly stealing along the half-dried moss ; while a dead 
pine kindled with the touch of a forked flame, that, for a moment, 
wreathed around the stem of the tree, as it whirled, in one of 
its evolutions, under the influence of the air. The effect was 
instantaneous. The flames danced along the parched trunk of 
the pine, like lightning quivering on a chain, and immediately a 
column of living fire was raging on the terrace. It soon spread 
from tree to tree : and the scene was evidently drawing to a 
close. The log on which Mohegan was seated lighted at its 
further end, and the Indian appeared to be surrounded by fire. 
Still he was unmoved. As his body was unprotected, his 
sufferings must have been great ; but his fortitude was superior 
to all. His voice could yet be heard even in the midst of these 
horrors. Elizabeth turned her head from the sight, and faced 
the valley. Furious eddies of wind were created by the heat, 
and just at the moment, the canopy of fiery smoke that overhung 
the valley was cleared away, leaving a distinct view of the 
peaceful village beneath them. 

“ My father ! — my father !” shrieked Elizabeth. “ Oh ! this 
— this surely might have been spared me — but I submit.” 

The distance was not so great but the figure of Judge Temple 
could be seen, standing in his own grounds, and apparently 
contemplating, in perfect unconsciousness of the danger of his 
child, the mountain in flames. This sight was still more painful 
than the approaching danger ; and Elizabeth again faced the hill. 

“ My intemperate warmth has done this !” cried Edwards, in 
the accents of despair. “ If I had possessed but a moiety of 
your heavenly resignation, Miss Temple, all might yet have 
been -well.” 

“Name it not — name it not,” she said. “It is now of no 
avail. We must die, Edwards, we must die — let us do so as 
Christians. But — no — you may yet escape, perhaps. Your 
dress is not so fatal as mine. Fly ! Leave me. An opening 
may yet be found for you, possibly — certainly it is worth the 


454 


THE PIONEERS 


effort. Fly ! leave me — but stay ! You will see my father ; 
my poor, my bereaved father ! Say to him, then, Edwaids, say 
to him, all that can appease his anguish. Tell him that I died 
happy and collected ; that 1 have gone to my beloved mother ; 
that the hours of this life are as nothing when balanced in the 
scales of eternity. Say how we shall meet again. And say,” 
she continued, dropping her voice, that had risen with her feel* 
ings, as if conscious of her worldly weaknesses, “ how dear, how 
very dear, was my love for him ; that it was near, too near, to 
my love for God.” 

The youth listened to her touching accents, but moved not. 
In a moment he found utterance, and replied : — 

“ And is it me that you command to leave you ! to leave you 
on the edge of the grave ! Oh ! Miss Temple, how little have 
you known me !” he cried, dropping on his knees at her feet, 
and gathering her flowing robe in his arms as if to shield her 
from the flames. “ I have been driven to the woods in despair ; 
but your society has tamed the lion within me. If I have 
wasted my time in degradation, ’twas you that charmed me to 
it. If I have forgotten my name and family, your form supplied 
the place of memory. If I have forgotten my wrongs, ’twas 
you that taught me charity. No — no — dearest Elizabeth, I may 
die with you, but I* can never leave you !” 

Elizabeth moved not, nor answered. It was plain that her 
thoughts had been raised from the earth. The recollection of 
her father, and her regrets at their separation, had been mellowed 
by a holy sentiment, that lifted her above the level of earthly 
things, and she was fast losing the weakness of her sex in the 
near view of eternity. But as she listened to these words she 
became once more woman. She struggled against these feelings, 
and smiled, as she thought she was shaking off the last lingering 
feeling of nature, when the world, and all its seductions, rushed 
again to her heart, with the sounds of a human voice, crying in 
piercing tones — 

“ Gal ! where be ye, gal ! gladden the heart of an old man, 
if ye yet belong to ’artli !” 


TIIE PIONEERS. 


455 


“ List !” said Elizabeth, “ ’tis the Leather-stocking ; he seeks 
me!” 

“ ’Tis Natty !” shouted Edwards, “ and we may yet be saved !” 

A wide and circling flame glared on their eyes for a moment, 
even above the fire of the woods, and a loud report followed. 

“’Tis the canister! ’tis the powder,” cried the same voice, 
evidently approaching them. “ ’Tis the canister, and the precious 
child is lost !” 

At the next instant Natty rushed through the steams of the 
spring, and appeared on the terrace, without his deer-skin cap, 
his hair burnt to his head, his shirt, of country check, black and 
filled with holes, and his red features of a deeper color than ever, 
by the heat he had encountered. 


456 


THE PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Even from the land of shadows, now, 

My father’s awful ghost appears. 

Gertrude of Wyomino. 


For an hour after Louisa Grant was left by Miss Temple, in 
the situation already mentioned, she continued in feverish anxiety, 
awaiting the return of her friend. But as the time passed by 
without the re-appearance of Elizabeth, the terror of Louisa 
gradually increased, until her alarmed fancy had conjured every 
species of danger that appertained to the woods, excepting the 
one that really existed. The heavens had become obscured by 
degrees, and vast volumes of smoke were pouring over the valley ; 
but the thoughts of Louisa were still recurring to beasts, without 
dreaming of the real cause for apprehension. She was stationed 
in the edge of the low pines and chestnuts that succeed the first 
or large growth of the forest, and directly above the angle where 
the highway turned from the straight course to the village, 
and ascended the mountain, laterally. Consequently, she com- 
manded a view not only of the valley, but of the road beneath 
her. The few travellers that passed, she observed, were engaged 
in earnest conversation, and frequently raised their eyes to the 
hill, and at length she saw the people leaving the court-house, 
and gazing upwards also. While under the influence of the alarm 
excited by such unusual movements, reluctant to go, and yet 
fearful to remain, Louisa was startled by the low, cracking, but 
cautious treads of some one approaching through the bushes. 
She was on the eve of flight, when Natty emerged from the 
cover, and stood at her side. The old man laughed as he shook 
her kindly by a hand that was passive with fear.. 

“ I am glad to meet you here, child,” he said ; “ for the back 
of the mountain is a-fire, and it would be dangerous to go up 


TIIE PIONEERS. 


457 


it now, till it has been burnt over once, and the dead wood is 
gone. There’s a foolish man, the comrade of that varmint who 
has given me all this trouble, digging for ore on the east side. 
I told him that the kearless fellows, who thought to catch a 
practys’d hunter in the woods after dark, had thrown the lighted 
pine knots in the brush, and that ’twould kindle like tow, and 
warned him to leave the hill. But he was set upon his busi- 
ness, and nothing short of Providence could move him. If he 
isn’t burnt and buried in a grave of his own digging, he’s made 
of salamanders. Why, what ails the child ! you look as skeary 
as if you see’d more painters ! I wish there were more to be 
found ; they’d count up faster than the beaver. But where’s 
the good child of a bad father ? did she forget her promise to 
the old man ? ” 

“ The hill ! the hill ! ” shrieked Louisa ; “ she seeks you on 
the hill with the powder ! ” 

Natty recoiled several feet at this unexpected intelligence. 

“ The Lord of Heaven have mercy on her ! She’s on the 
Vision, and that’s a sheet of fire ag’in this. Child, if ye love 
the dear one, and hope to find a friend when ye need it most, 
to the village, and give the alarm. The men are used to fight- 
ing fire, and there may be a chance left. Fly ! I bid ye fly ! 
nor stop even for breath.” 

The Leather-stocking had no sooner uttered this injunction, 
than he disappeared in the bushes, and when last seen by 
Louisa, was rushing up the mountain, with a speed that none 
but those who were accustomed to the toil could attain. 

“ Have I found ye ! ” the old man exclaimed, when he burst 
out of the smoke ; “ God be praised that I’ve found ye ; but 
follow, — there’s no time for talking.” 

“ My dress ! ” said Elizabeth ; “ it would be fatal to trust 
mycelf nearer to the flames in it.” 

“ I bethought me of your flimsy things,” cried Natty, throwing 
loose the folds, of a covering of buckskin that he carried cn his 
arm, and wrapping her form in it, in such a manner as to 

20 


458 


THE PIONEERS. 


envelope her whole person ; “ now follow, for it’s a matter of 
life and death to us all.” 

“ But John ! what will become of John ? ” cried Edwards ; 
can we leave the old warrior here to perish ? ” 

The eyes of Natty followed the direction of Edwards’s finger, 
when he beheld the Indian still seated as before, with the very 
earth under his feet consuming with fire. Without delay the 
hunter approached the spot, and spoke in Delaware — 

“ Up and away, Chingachgook ! will ye stay here to burn, 
like a Mingo at the stake ? The Moravians have teached ye 
better, I hope ; the Lord preserve me if the powder hasn’t 
flashed atween his legs, and the skin of his back is roasting. 
Will ye come, I say ; will ye follow ? ” 

“ Why should Mohegan go ? ” returned the Indian gloomily. 
“ He has seen the days of an eagle, and his eye grows dim. 
He looks on the valley ; he looks on the water ; he looks in the 
hunting-grounds — but he sees no Delawares. Every one has a 
white skin. My fathers say, from the far-off land, come. My 
women, my young warriors, my tribe, say, come. The Great 
Spirit says, come. Let Mohegan die.” 

“But you forget your friend,” cried Edwards. 

“ ’Tis useless to talk to an Indian with the death-fit on him, 
lad,” interrupted Natty, who seized the strips of the blanket, 
and with wonderful dexterity strapped the passive chieftain to 
his own back ; when he turned, and with a strength that 
seemed to bid defiance, not only to his years, but to his load, 
he led the way to the point whence he had issued. As they 
crossed the little terrace of rock, one of the dead trees, that had 
been tottering for several minutes, fell on the spot where they 
had stood, and filled the air with its cinders. 

Such an event quickened the steps of the party, who followed 
the Leather- stocking with the urgency required by the occasion. 

“ Tread on the soft ground,” he cried, when they were in a 
gloom where sight availed them but little, “ and keep in the 
white smoke ; keep the skin close on her, lad ; she’s a precious 
one, another will be hard to be found.” 


THE PIONEERS. 


469 


Obedient to the hunter’s directions, they followed his steps 
and advice implicitly ; and although the narrow passage along 
the winding of the spring led amid burning logs and falling 
branches, they happily achieved it in safety. No one but a 
man long accustomed to the woods, could have traced his route 
through a smoke, in which respiration was difficult, and sight 
nearly useless ; but the experience of Natty conducted them to 
an opening through the rocks, where, with a little difficulty, 
they soon descended to another terrace, and emerged at once 
into a tolerably clear atmosphere. 

The feelings of Edwards and Elizabeth at reaching this spot 
may be imagined, though not easily described. No one seemed 
to exult more than their guide, who turned, with Mohegan still 
lashed to his back, and laughing in his own manner, said — 

“I know’d ’twas the Frenchman’s powder, gal; it went so 
altogether ; your coarse grain will squib for a minute. The 
Iroquois had none of the best powder when I went ag’in the 
Canada tribes, under Sir William. Did I ever tell you the 
story, lad, consarning the scrimmage with ” 

“For God’s sake, tell me nothing now, Natty, until we are 
entirely safe. Where shall we go next ?” 

“ Why, on the platform of rock over the cave, to be sure ; 
you will be safe enough there, or we’ll go into it, if you be so 
minded.” 

The young man started, and appeared agitated ; but looking 
around him with an anxious eye, said quickly — 

“ Shall we be safe on the rock ? cannot the fire reach us 
there, too ?” 

“ Can’t the boy see?” said Natty, with the coolness of one 
accustomed to the kind of danger he had just encountered. 
“ Had ye stayed in the place above ten minutes longer, you 
would both have been in ashes, but here you may stay for 
ever, and no fire can touch you, until they burn the rocks as 
well as the woods.” 

With this assurance, which was obviously true, they pro- 
ceeded to the spot, and Natty deposited his load, placing the 


400 


THE PIONEERS. 


Indian on the ground with his back against a fragment of the 
rocks. Elizabeth sank on the ground, and buried her face in 
her hands, while her heart was swelling with a variety of con- 
flicting emotions. 

“ Let me urge you to take a restorative, Miss Temple,” said 
Edwards respectfully ; “your frame will sink else.” 

“ Leave me, leave me,” she said, raising her beaming eyes for a 
moment to his ; “ I feel too much for words ! I am grateful, 
Oliver, for this miraculous escape ; and next to my God to 
you.” 

Edwards withdrew to the edge of the rock, and shouted — • 
“ Benjamin ! where are you, Benjamin ?” 

A hoarse voice replied, as if from the bowels of the earth, 
“ Hereaway, master ; stowed in this here bit of a hole, which 
is all the same as hot as the cook’s coppers. I’m tired of my 
berth, d’ye see, and if-so-be that Leather-stocking has got much 
over-hauling to do before he sails after them said beaver, I’ll go 
into dock again, and ride out my quarantine till I can get prot- 
tick from the law, and so hold on upon the rest of my ’spa- 
niolas.” 

“ Bring up a glass of water from the spring,” continued 
Edwards, “ and throw a little wine in it ; hasten, I entreat 
you ?” 

“ I knows but little of your small drink, master Oliver,” 
returned the steward, his voice issuing out of the cave into the 
open air, “ and the Jamaiky held out no longer than to take a 
parting kiss with Billy Kirby, when he anchored me alongside 
the highway last night, where you run me down in the chase. 
But here’s sum’mat of a red color that may suit a weak 
stomach, mayhap. That Master Kirby is no first rate in a 
boat ; but he’ll tack a cart among the stumps, all the same as a 
Lon’on pilot will back and fill through the colliers in the Pool.” 

As the steward ascended while talking, by the time he had 
ended his speech, he appeared on the rock with the desired resto- 
ratives, exhibiting the worn-out and bloated features of a man 
who had run deep in a debauch, and that lately. 


THE PIONEERS. 


461 


Elizabeth took from the hands of Edwards the liquor which 
he offered, and then motioned to be left again to herself. 

The youth turned at her bidding, and observed Natty kindly 
assiduous around the person of Mohegan, When their eyes 
met, the hunter said sorrowfully — 

“ His time has come, lad ; I see it in his eyes ; — when an 
Indian fixes his eye, he means to go but to one place ; and 
what the wilful creaters put their minds on, they’re sure to do.” 

A quick tread prevented the reply, and in a few moments, 
to the amazement of the whole party, Mr. Grant was seen 
clinging to the side of the mountain, and striving to reach the 
place where thej^ stood. Oliver sprang to his assistance, and by 
their united efforts the worthy divine was soon placed safely 
among them. 

“ How came you added to our number ?” cried Edwards. 
“ Is the hill alive with people at a time like this ?” 

The hasty but pious thanksgivings of the clergyman were 
soon ejaculated ; and when he succeeded in collecting his 
bewildered senses, he replied — 

“ I heard that my child was seen coming to the mountain ; 
and when the fire broke over its summit, my uneasiness drew 
me up the road, where I found Louisa, in terror for Miss Temple. 
It was to seek her that I came into this dangerous place ; and 
I think, but for God’s mercy, through the dogs of Natty, I 
should have perished in the flames myself.” 

“ Ay ! follow the hounds, and if there’s an opening they’ll 
scent it out,” said Natty ; “their noses be given them the same 
as man’s reason.” 

“ I did so, and they led me to this place ; but, praise be to 
God, that I see you all safe and well.” 

“ No, no,” returned the hunter ; “ safe we be, but as for well, 
John can’t be called in a good way, unless you’ll say that for a 
man that’s taking his last look at ’arth.” 

“ He speaks the truth !” said the divine, with the holy awe 
with which he ever approached the dying ; — “ I have been by 
too many death-beds, not to see that the hand of the tyrant is 


4G2 


THE PIONEERS. 


laid on this old warrior. Oh ! how consoling it is to know 
that he has not rejected the offered mercy in the hour of his 
strength and of worldly temptations ! The offspring of a race 
of heathens, he has in truth been 4 as a brand plucked from tho 
burning.’ ” 

44 No, no,” returned Natty, who alone stood with him by the 
side of the dying warrior , 44 it’s no burning that ails him, though 
his Indian feelings made him scorn to move, unless it be the 
burning of man’s wicked thoughts for near fourscore years ; but 
it’s nater giving out in a chase that’s run too long. Down with 
ye, Hector ! down, I say ! — Flesh isn’t iron, that a man can live 
for ever, and see his kith and kin driven to a far country, and he 
left to mourn, with none to keep him company.” 

“ John,” said the divine, tenderly , 44 do you hear me ? do you 
wish the prayers appointed by the church, at this trying 
moment ?” 

The Indian turned his ghastly face towards the speaker, and 
fastened his dark eyes on him, steadily, but vacantly. No sign 
of recognition was made ; and in a moment he moved his head 
again slowly towards the vale, and began to sing, using his own 
language, in those low, guttural tones, that have been so often 
mentioned, his notes rising with his theme, till they swelled so 
loud as to be distinct. 

“ I will come ! I will come ! to the land of the just I will 
come ! The Maquas I have slain ! — I have slain the Maquas ! 
and the Great Spirit calls to his son. I will come ! I will 
come ! to the land of the just I will come !” 

“ What says he, Leather-stocking ?” inquired the priest, with 
tender interest ; 44 sings he the Redeemer’s praise ?” 

“ No, no — ’tis his own praise that he speaks now,” said Natty, 
turning in a melancholy manner from the sight of his dying 
friend ; 44 and a good right he has to say it all, for I know every 
word to be true.” 

“ May Heaven avert such self-righteousness from his heart ! 
Humility and penitence are the seals of Christianity; and 
without feeling them deeply seated in the soul, all hope is delu- 


THE PIONEERS. 


403 


sive, and leads to vain expectations. Praise himself! when his 
whole soul and body should unite to praise his Maker ! John ! 
you have enjoyed the blessings of a gospel ministry, and have 
been called from out a multitude of sinners and pagans, and I 
trust, for a wise and gracious purpose. Do you now feel what 
it is to be justified by our Saviour’s death, and reject all weak 
and idle dependence on good works, that spring from man’s 
pride and vainglory ?” 

The Indian did not regard his interrogator, but he raised his 
head again, and said in a low, distinct voice — 

“ Who can say that the Maquas know the back of Mohegan ? 
What enemy that trusted in him did not see the morning ? 
What Mingo that he chased ever sang the song of triumph ? 
Did Mohegan ever lie ? No ; the truth lived in him, and none 
else could come out of him. In his youth he was a warrior, 
and his moccasins left the stain of blood. In his age, he was 
wise ; his words at the council fire did not blow awa}' with the 
winds.” 

“ Ah ! he has abandoned that vain relic of paganism, his 
songs,” cried the divine ; — “ what says he now ? is he sensible 
of his lost state ?” 

“ Lord ! man,” said Natty, “ he knows his end is at hand as 
well as you or I ; but, so far from thinking it a loss, he believes 
it to be a great gain. He is old and stiff, and you have made 
the game so scarce and shy, that better shots than him find it 
hard to get a livelihood. Now he thinks he shall travel where 
it will always be good hunting ; where no wicked or unjust 
Indians can go; and where he shall meet all his tribe together 
ag’in. There’s not much loss in that, to a man whose hands 
are hardly fit for basket-making. Loss ! if there be any loss, 
’twill be to me. I’m sure, after he’s gone, there will be but 
little left for me but to follow.” 

“ His example and end, which, I humbly trust, shall yet be 
made glorious,” returned Mr. Grant, “ should lead your mind to 
dwell on the things of another life. But I feel it to be my duty 
to smoothe the way for the parting spirit. This is the moment, 


464 


THE PIONEERS. 


John, when the reflection that j t ou did not reject the mediation 
of the Redeemer, will bring balm to your soul. Trust not to 
any act of former days, but lay the burden of your sins at his 
feet, and you have his own blessed assurance that he will not 
desert you.” 

“ Though all you say be true, and you have scripter gospels 
for it, too,” said Natty, “ you will make nothing of the Indian. 
He hasn’t seen a Moravian priest sin’ the war ; and it’s hard to 
keep them from going back to their native ways. I should 
think ’twould be as well to let the old man pass in peace. He’s 
happy now ; I know it by his eye ; and that’s more than I 
would say for the chief, sin’ the time the Delawares broke up from 
the head-waters of their river, and went west. Ah’s me ! ’tis a 
grievous long time that, and many dark days have we seen 
together sin’ it.” 

“ Hawk-eye !” said Mohegan, rousing with the last glim- 
mering of life. “ Hawk-eye ! listen to the words of your 
brother.” 

“ Yes, John,” said the hunter, in English, strongly affected by 
the appeal, and drawing to his side ; “ we have been brothers ; 
and more so than it means in the Indian tongue. What would 
ye have with me, Chingachgook ?” 

“ Hawk-eye ! my fathers call me to the happy hunting- 
grounds. The path is clear, and the eyes of Mohegan grow 
young. I look — but I see no white-skins ; there are none to be 
seen but just and brave Indians. Farewell, Hawk-eye — you 
shall go with the Fire-eater and the Young Eagle, to the white 
man’s heaven ; but I go after my fathers. Let the bow, and 
tomahawk, and pipe, and the wampum of Mohegan be laid in 
his grave ; for when he starts ’twill be in the night, like a war- 
rior on a war-party, and he cannot stop to seek them.” 

“ What says he, Nathaniel ?” cried Mr. Grant, earnestly, and 
with obvious anxiety ; “ does he recall the promises of the medi- 
ation ? and trust his salvation to the Rock of Ao-es ?” 

Although the faith of the hunter was by no means clear, yet 
the fruits of early instruction had not entirely fallen in the wil- 


THE PIONEERS. 


4G5 


derness. He believed in one God, and one heaven ; and when 
the strong feeling excited by the leave-taking of his old compa- 
nion, which was exhibited by the powerful working of every 
muscle in his weather-beaten face, suffered him to speak, he 
replied — 

“ No — no — he trusts only to the Great Spirit of the savages, 
and to his own good deeds. He thinks, like all his people, that 
he is to be young ag’in, and to hunt, and be happy to the end 
of etarnity. It’s pretty much the same with all colors, parson. 
I could never bring myself to think, that I shall meet with 
these hounds, or my piece, in another world ; though the 
thoughts of leaving them for ever sometimes brings hard feel- 
ings over me, and makes me cling to life with a greater craving 
than beseems three-score-and-ten.” 

“ The Lord in his mercy avert such a death from one who has 
been sealed with the sign of the cross !” cried the minister, in 
holy fervor. “John — ” 

He paused for the elements. During the period occupied by 
the events which we have related, the dark clouds in the horizon 
had continued to increase in numbers and magnitude ; and the 
awful stillness that now pervaded the air, announced a crisis in 
the state of the atmosphere. The flames, which yet continued 
to rage along the sides of the mountain, no longer whirled in 
uncertain currents of their own eddies, but blazed high and 
steadily towards the heavens. There was even a quietude in 
the ravages of the destructive element, as if it foresaw that a 
hand, greater than even its own desolating power, was about to 
stay its progress. The piles of smoke which lay above the val- 
ley began to rise, and were dispelling rapidly ; and streaks of 
vivid lightning were dancing through the masses of clouds that 
impended over the western hills While Mr. Grant was speak- 
ing, a flash, which sent its quivering light through the gloom, 
laying bare the whole opposite horizon, was followed by a loud 
crash of thunder, that rolled away among the hills, seeming to 
shake the foundations of the earth to their centre. Mohegan 
raised himself, as if in obedience to a signal for his departure, 
20 * 


460 


THE PIONEERS. 


and stretched his wasted arm towards the west. His dark face 
lighted with a look of joy ; which, with all other expression, 
gradually disappeared ; the muscles stiffening as they retreated 
to a state of rest; a slight convulsion played, for a single 
instant, about his lips ; and his arm slowly dropped by his side ; 
leaving the frame of the dead warrior reposing against the rock, 
with its glassy eyes open, and fixed on the distant hills, as if the 
deserted shell were tracing the flight of the spirit to its new 
abode. 

All this Mr. Grant witnessed in silent awe ; but when the last 
echoes of the thunder died away, he clasped his hands together, 
with pious energy, and repeated, in the full, rich tones of 
assured faith — 

“ 0 Lord ! how unsearchable are thy judgments : and thy 
ways past finding out ! ‘ I know that my Redeemer liveth, and 
that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth : and though 
after my skin, w T orms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I 
see God : whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall 
behold, and not another.’ ” 

As the divine closed this burst of devotion, he bowed his 
head meekly to his bosom, and looked all the dependence and 
humility that the inspired language expressed. 

When Mr. Grant retired from the body, the hunter ap- 
proached, and taking the rigid hand of his friend, looked him 
wistfully in the face for some time without speaking, when he 
gave vent to his feelings by saying, in the mournful voice of one 
who felt deeply — 

“Red skin or white, it’s all over now ! He’s to be judged 
by a righteous Judge, and by no laws that’s made to suit times, 
and new ways. Well, there’s only one more death, and the 
world will be left to me and the hounds. Ah’s me ! a man 
must wait the time of God’s pleasure, but I begin to weary of 
life. There is scarcely a tree standing that I know, and it’s 
hard to find a face that I was acquainted with in my younger 
days.” 

Large drops of rain began now to fall, and diffuse themselves 


THE PIONEERS. 


467 


over the dry rock, while the approach of the thunder shower 
was rapid and certain. The body of the Indian was hastily 
removed into the cave beneath, followed by the whining 
hounds, who missed, and moaned for the look of intelligences 
that had always met their salutations to the chief. 

Edwards made some hasty and confused excuse for no\ 
taking Elizabeth into the same place, which was now completely 
closed in front with logs and bark, saying something that she 
hardly understood about its darkness, and the unpleasantness 
of being with the dead body. Miss Temple, however, found a 
sufficient shelter against the torrent of rain that fell, under the 
projection of a rock which overhung them. But long before 
the shower was over, the sounds of voices were heard below 
them crying aloud for Elizabeth, and men soon appeared, beat- 
ing the dying embers of the bushes, as they worked their way 
cautiously among the unextinguished brands. 

At the first short cessation in the rain, Oliver conducted 
Elizabeth to the road, where he left her. Before parting, how- 
ever, he found time to say, in a fervent manner, that his com- 
panion was now at no loss to interpret — 

“ The moment of concealment is over, Miss Temple. By this 
time to-morrow, I shall remove a veil that perhaps it has been 
weakness to keep around me and my affairs so long. But I have 
had romantic and foolish wishes and weaknesses : and who has 
not, that is young and torn by conflicting passions ? God bless 
you ! I hear your father’s voice ; he is coming up the road, and 
I would not, just now, subject myself to detention. Thank 
Heaven, you are safe again ; that alone removes the weight of 
a world from my spirit !” 

He waited for no answer, but sprang into the woods. Eliza- 
beth, notwithstanding she heard the cries of her father as he 
called upon her name, paused until he was concealed among 
the smoking trees, when she turned, and in a moment rushed 
into the arms of her half-distracted parent. 

A carriage had been provided, into which Miss Temple 
hastily entered ; when the cry was passed along the hill, that 


408 


THE PIONEERS. 


the lost one was found, and the people returned to the village, 


elated with the thought that the daughter 

horrid and untimely an 



of their landlord 
end.* 



* The probability of a fire in the woods, similar to that here described, has been 
questioned. The writer can only say that he once witnessed a fire in another part 
of New York that compelled a man to desert his wagon and horses in the highway, 
and in which the latter were destroyed. In order to estimate the probability of 
such an event, it is necessary to remember the effects of a long drought in that 
climate, and the abundance of dead wood which is found in a forest like that 
described. The fires in the American forests frequently rage to such an extent as 
to produce a sensible effect on the atmosphere at the distance of fifty miles. 
Houses, barns, and fences are quite commonly swept away in their course. 


THE PIONEERS. 


409 


CHAPTER XXXIX. 


Selictar ! unsheathe then our chief’s scimitar ; 

Tambourgi ! thy ’larum gives promise of war ; 

Ye mountains ! that see us descend to the shore, 

Shall view us as “victors, or view us no more. Byron. 

The heavy showers that prevailed during the remainder of 
the day completely stopped the progress of the flames ; though 
glimmering fires were observed during the night, on different 
parts of the hill, wherever there was a collection of fuel to feed 
the element. The next day the woods, for many miles, were 
black and smoking, and were stripped of every vestige of brush 
and dead wood ; but the pines and hemlocks still reared their 
heads proudly among the hills, and even the smaller trees of 
the forest retained a feeble appearance of life and vegetation. 

The many tongues of rumor were busy in exaggerating the 
miraculous escape of Elizabeth ; and a report was generally 
credited, that Mohegan had actually perished in the flames. 
This belief became confirmed, and was indeed rendered probable, 
when the direful intelligence reached the village, that Jotham 
Riddell, the miner, was found in his hole, nearly dead with suf- 
focation, and burnt to such a degree that no hopes were enter- 
tained of his life. 

The public attention became much alive to the events of the 
last few days ; and just at this crisis, the convicted counterfeiters 
took the hint from Natty, and, on the night succeeding the fire, 
found means to cut through their log prison also, and to escape 
unpunished. When this news began to circulate through the 
village, blended with the fate of Jotham, and the exaggerated 
and tortured reports of the events on the hill, the popular 
opinion was freely expressed, as to the propriety of seizing such 
of the fugitives as remained within reach. Men talked of the 


470 


THE PIONEERS. 


cave, as a secret receptacle of guilt ; and as the rumor of ores 
and metals found its way into the confused medley of con- 
jectures, counterfeiting, and everything else that was wicked and 
dangerous to the peace of society, suggested themselves to the 
busy fancies of the populace. 

While the public mind was in this feverish state, it was 
hinted that the wood had been set on fire by Edwards and the 
Leather-stocking, and that, consequently, they alone were 
responsible for the damages. This opinion soon gained ground, 
being most circulated by those who, by their own heedlessness, 
had caused the evil ; and there was one irresistible burst of the 
common sentiment, that an attempt should be made to punish 
the offenders. Richard was by no means deaf to this appeal, 
and by noon he set about in earnest, to see the laws executed. 

Several stout young men were selected, and taken apart with 
an appearance of secresy, where they received some important 
charge from the Sheriff, immediately under the eyes, but far 
removed from the ears, of all in the village. Possessed of a know- 
ledge of their duty, these youths hurried into the hills, with 
a bustling manner, as if the fate of the world depended on their 
diligence, and, at the same time, with an air of mystery, as great 
as if they were engaged on secret matters of the state. 

At twelve precisely, a drum beat the “ long roll” before the 
“ Bold Dragoon,” and Richard appeared, accompanied by Cap- 
tain Hollister, who was clad in his vestments as commander of 
the “ Templeton Light-Infantry,” when the former demanded of 
the latter the aid of the posse comitatus, in enforcing the laws 
of the country. We have not room to record the speeches of 
the two gentlemen on this occasion, but they are preserved 
in the columns of the little blue newspaper, which is yet to 
be found on the file, and are said to be highly creditable to the 
legal formula of one of the parties, and to the military precision 
of the other. Everything had been previously arranged, and 
as the red-coated drummer continued to roll out his clatter- 
ing notes, some five-and-twenty privates appeared in the ranks, 
and arranged themselves in order of battle. 


THE PIONEERS. 


471 


As this corps was composed of volunteers, and was com- 
manded by a man who had passed the first five*and- thirty years 
of his life in camps and garrisons, it was the nonpareil of mili 
tary science in that country, and was confidently pronounced by 
the judicious part of the Templeton community, to be equal in 
skill and appearance to any troops in the known world ; in 
physical endowments they were, certainly, much superior ! To 
this assertion there were but three dissenting voices, and 
one dissenting opinion. The opinion belonged to Marmaduke, 
who, however, saw no necessity for its promulgation. Of 
the voices, one, and that a pretty loud one, came from the 
spouse of the commander himself, who frequently reproached 
her husband for condescending to lead such an irregular band of 
warriors, after he had filled the honorable station of sergeant- 
major to a dashing corps of Virginian cavalry through much of 
the recent war. 

Another of these sceptical sentiments was invariably expressed 
by Mr. Pump, whenever the company paraded, generally in 
some such terms as these, which were uttered with that sort of 
meekness that a native of the island of our forefathers is apt to 
assume, when he condescends to praise the customs or cha- 
racter of her truant progeny — 

“ It’s mayhap that they knows sum'mat about loading and 
firing, d’ye see ; but as for working ship ! why a corporal’s 
guard of the Boadishey’s marines would back and fill on 
their quarters in such a manner as to surround and cap- 
tivate them all in half a glass.” As there was no one to deny 
this assertion, the marines of the Boadicea were held in a corres- 
ponding degree of estimation. 

The third unbeliever was Monsieur Le Quoi, who merely 
whispered to the Sheriff, that the corps was one of the finest he 
had ever seen, second only to the Mousquetaires of Le Bon 
Louis ! However, as Mrs. Hollister thoughWthere was some- 
thing like actual service in the present appearances, and was, in 
consequence, too busily engaged with certain preparations of 
her own, to make her comments ; as Benjamin was absent, and 


472 


THE PIONEERS. 


Monsieur Le Quoi too happy to find fault with anything, 
the corps escaped criticism and comparison altogether on 
this momentous day, when they certainly had greater need 
of self-confidence than on any other previous occasion. Mar- 
maduke was said to be again closeted with Mr. Yan der 
School, and no interruption was offered to the movements 
of the troops. At two o’clock precisely the corps shouldered 
arms, beginning on the right wing, next to the veteran, and 
carrying the motion through to the left with great regu- 
larity. When each musket was quietly fixed in its proper 
situation, the order was given to wheel to the left, and 
march. As this was bringing raw troops, at once, to face 
their enemy, it is not to be supposed that the manoeuvre 
was executed with their usual accuracy; but as the music 
struck up the inspiring air of Yankee-doodle, and Richard, 
accompanied by Mr. Doolittle, preceded the troops boldly 
down the street, Captain Hollister led on, with his head 
elevated to forty-five degrees, with a little, low cocked hat 
perched on his crown, carrying a tremendous dragoon sabre 
at a poise, and trailing at his heels a huge steel scabbard, 
that had war in its very clattering. There was a good deal 
of difficulty in getting all the platoons (there were six) to 
look the same way ; but, by the time they reached the defile 
of the bridge, the troops were in sufficiently compact order. 
In this manner they marched up the hill to the summit of 
the mountain, no other alteration taking place in the disposi- 
tion of the forces, excepting that a mutual complaint was 
made by the Sheriff and the magistrate, of a failure in wind, 
which gradually brought these gentlemen to the rear. It 
will be unnecessary to detail the minute movements that suc- 
ceeded. We shall briefly say, that the scouts came in and 
reported, that, so far from retreating, as had been anticipated, 
the fugitives had evidently gained a knowledge of the attack, 
and were fortifying for a desperate resistance. This intelli- 
gence certainly made a material change, not only in the 
plans of the leaders, but in the countenances of the soldiery 


THE PIONEERS. 


473 


also. r lhe men looked at one another with serious faces, 
and Eiram and Richard began to consult together, apart. 

At this conjuncture, they were joined by Billy Kirby, who 
came along the highway, with his axe under his arm, as 
much in advance of his team as Captain Hollister had been 
cf his troops in the ascent. The wood-chopper was amazed 
at the military array, but the Sheriff eagerly availed himself 
of this powerful reinforcement, and commanded his assistance 
in putting the laws in force. Billy held Mr. Jones in too 
much deference to object ; and it was finally arranged that 
he should be the bearer of a summons to the garrison to 
surrender, before they proceeded to extremities. The troops 
now divided, one party being led by the captain, over the 
Vision, and were brought in on the left of the cave, while 
the remainder advanced upon its right, under the orders of 
the lieutenant. Mr. Jones and Dr. Todd — for the surgeon 
was in attendance also — appeared on the platform of rock, 
immediately over the heads of the garrison, though out of 
their sight. Hiram thought this approaching too near, and 
he therefore accompanied Kirby along the side of the hill, 
to within a safe distance of the fortifications, where he took 
shelter behind a tree. Most of the men discovered great 
accuracy of eye in bringing some object in range between 
them and their enemy, and the only two of the besiegers, 
who were left in plain sight of the besieged, were Captain 
Hollister on one side, and the wood-chopper on the other. 
The veteran stood up boldly to the front, supporting his heavy 
sword, in one undeviating position, with his eye fixed firmly on 
his enemy, while the huge form of Billy was placed in that 
kind of quiet repose, with either hand thrust into his bosom, 
bearing his axe under his right arm, which permitted him, like 
his own oxen, to rest standing. So far, not a word had been 
exchanged between the belligerents. The besieged had drawn 
together a pile of black logs and branches of trees, which 
they had formed into a chevaux-de-frise, making a little circular 
abbatis in front of the entrance to the cave. As the ground 


474 


THE PIONEERS. 


was steep and slippery in every direction around the place, and 
Benjamin appeared behind the works on one side, and Natty on 
the other, the arrangement was by no means contemptible, 
especially as the front was sufficiently guarded by the difficulty 
of the approach. By this time, Kirby had received his orders, 
and he advanced coolly along the mountain, picking his way 
with the same indifference as if he were pursuing his ordinary 
business. When he was within a hundred feet of the works, 
the long and much dreaded rifle of the Leather-stocking 
was seen issuing from the parapet, and his voice cried aloud — 

“ Keep off ! Billy Kirby, keep off ! I wish ye no harm ; but 
if a man of ye all comes a step nigher, there’ll be blood spilt 
atwixt us. God forgive the one that draws it first, but so it 
must be.” 

“ Come, old chap,” said Billy, good-naturedly, “ don’t be 
crabb’d, but hear what a man has got to say. I’ve no consarn 
in the business, only to see right ’twixt man and man ; and I 
don’t kear the valie of a beetle ring which gets the better ; but 
there’s Squire Doolittle, yonder behind the beech sapling, he 
has invited me to come in and ask you to give up to the law 
— that’s all.” 

“ I see the varmint ! I see his clothes !” cried the indignant 
Natty ; “ and if he’ll only show so much flesh as will bury a 
rifle bullet, thirty to the pound, I’ll make him feel me. Go 
away, Billy, I bid ye : you know my aim, and I bear you no 
malice.” 

“ You over-calculate your aim, Natty,” said the other, as he 
stepped behind a pine that stood near him ; “ if you think to 
shoot a man through a tree with a three foot butt. I can lay 
this tree right across you in ten minutes, by any man’s watch, 
and in less time, too ; so be civil — I want no more than what’s 
right.” 

There was a simple seriousness in the countenance of Natty, 
that showed he was much in earnest ; but it was also evident 
that he was reluctant to shed human blood. He answered the 
vaunt of the wood-chopper, by saying — 


THE PIONEERS. 


475 


“I know you drop a tree where you will, Billy Kirby; but 
if you show a hand, or an arm, in doing it, there’ll be bones to 
be set, and blood to staunch. If it’s only to get into the cave 
that ye want, wait till a two hours’ sun, and you may enter it 
in welcome ; but come in now you shall not. There’s one dead 
body already, lying on the cold rocks, and there’s another in 
which the life can hardly, be said to stay. If you will come in, 
there’ll be dead without as well as within.” 

The wood-chopper stepped out fearlessly from his cover, and 
cried — 

“ That’s fair ; and what’s fair is right. He wants you to 
stop till it’s two hours to sundown ; and I see reason in the 
thing. A man can give up when he’s wrong, if you don’t 
crowd him too hard ; but you crowd a man, and he gets to be 
like a stubborn ox — the more you beat, the worse he kicks.” 

The sturdy notions of independence maintained by Billy, 
neither suited the emergency nor the impatience of Mr. Jones, 
who was burning with a desire to examine the hidden mysteries 
of the cave. He therefore interrupted this amicable dialogue 
with his own voice. 

“ I command you, Nathaniel Bumppo, by my authority, to 
surrender your person to the law,” he cried. “ And I command 
you, gentlemen, to aid me in performing my duty. Benjamin 
Penguillan, I arrest you, and order you to follow me to the jail 
df the county, by virtue of this warrant.” 

“ I’d follow ye, Squire Dickens,” said Benjamin, removing the 
pipe from his mouth (for during the whole scene the ex-major- 
domo had been very composedly smoking) ; “ ay ! I’d sail in 
your wake, to the end of the world, if-so-be that there was such 
a place, where there isn’t seeing that it’s round. Now, mayhap, 
Master Hollister, having lived all your life on shore, you isn’t 
acquainted that the world, d’ye see ” 

“ Surrender !” interrupted the veteran, in a voice that start- 
led his hearers, and which actually caused his own forces to 
recoil several paces ; “ surrender, Benjamin Pengullum, or 
expect no quarter.” 


476 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ Damn your quarter !” said Benjamin, rising from the log on 
which he was seated, and taking a squint along the barrel of 
the swivel, which had been brought on the hill during the 
night, and now formed the means of defence on his side of the 
works. “ Look you, Master, or Captain, thof I questions if ye 
know the name of a rope, except the one that’s to hang ye, 
there’s no need of singing out, as if ye was hailing a deaf man 
on a top-gallant yard. Mayhap you think you’ve got my true 
name in your sheep-skin ; but what Br’tish sailor finds it worth 
while to sail in these seas, without a sham on his stern, in case 
of need, d’ye see. If you call me Penguillan, you calls me by 
the name of the man on whose land, d’ye see, I hove into day- 
light ; and he was a gentleman ; and that’s more than my 
worst enemy will say of any of the family of Benjamin 
Stubbs.” 

“ Send the warrant round to me, and I’ll put in an alias,” 
cried Hiram, from behind his cover. 

“ Put in a jackass, and you’ll put in yourself, Mister Doo-but- 
little,” shouted Benjamin, who kept squinting along his little 
iron tube, with great steadiness. 

“ I give you but one moment to yield,” cried Richard. 
“ Benjamin ! Benjamin ! this is not the gratitude I expected 
from you.” 

“I tell you, Richard Jones,” said Natty, who dreaded the 
Sheriff’s influence over his comrade ; “ though the canister the 
gal brought be lost, there’s powder enough in the cave to lift 
the rock you stand on. I’ll take off my roof if you don’t hold 
your peace.” 

“ I think it beneath the dignity of my office to parley further 
with the prisoners,” the Sheriff observed to his companion, 
while they both retired with a precipitancy that Captain Hollister 
mistook for the signal to advance. 

“ Charge baggonet !” shouted the veteran ; “ march !” 

Although this signal was certainly expected, it took the 
assailed a little by surprise, and the veteran approached the 
works, crying, “ Courage, my brave lads 1 give them no quarter 


THE PIONEERS. 


477 


unless they surrender and struck a furious blow upwards 
with his sabre, that would have divided the stewaid into moieties, 
by subjecting him to the process of decapitation, but for the for- 
tunate interference of the muzzle of the swivel. As it was, the 
gun was dismounted at the critical moment that Benjamin was 
applying his pipe to the priming, and, in consequence, some 
five or six dozen of rifle bullets were projected into the air, in 
nearly a perpendicular line. Philosophy teaches us that the 
atmosphere will not retain lead ; and two pounds of the metal, 
moulded into bullets of thirty to the pound, after describing an 
ellipsis in their journey, returned to the earth rattling among 
the branches of the trees directly over the heads of the troops 
stationed in the rear of their captain. Much of the success of 
an attack, made by irregular soldiers, depends on the direction 
in which they are first got in motion. In the present instance, 
it was retrograde, and in less than a minute after the bellowing 
report of the swivel among the rocks and caverns, the whole 
weight of the attack from the left rested on the prowess of the 
single arm of the veteran. Benjamin received a severe contu- 
sion from the recoil of his gun, which produced a short stupor, 
during which period the ex-steward was prostrate on the 
ground. Captain Hollister availed himself of this circumstance 
to scramble over the breast-work, and obtain a footing in the 
bastion — for such was the nature of the fortress, as connected 
with the cave. The moment the veteran found himself within 
the works of his enemy, he rushed to the edge of the fortifica- 
tion, and waving his sabre over his head, shouted — 

“ Victory ! come on, my brave boys, the work’s our own !” 

All this was perfectly military, and was such an example as 
a gallant officer was in some measure bound to exhibit to his 
men ; but the outcry was the unlucky cause of turning the tide 
of success. Natty, who had been keeping a vigilant eye on the 
wood-chopper, and the enemy immediately before him, wheeled 
at this alarm, and was appalled at beholding his comrade on 
the ground, and the veteran standing on his own bulwark, giv- 
ing forth the cry of victory ! The muzzle of the leng rifle was 


478 


THE PIONEERS. 


turned instantly towards the captain. There was a moment 
when the life of the old soldier was in great jeopardy ; but the 
object to shoot at was both too large and too near for the 
Leather-stocking, who, instead of pulling his trigger, applied the 
gun to the rear of his enemy, and by a powerful shove sent 
him outside of the works with much greater rapidity than he 
had entered them. The spot on which Captain Hollister 
alighted was directly in front, where, as his feet touched the 
ground, so steep and slippery was the side of the mountain, it 
seemed tc recede from under them. His motion was swift, and 
so irregular as utterly to confuse the faculties of the old soldier. 
During its continuance, he supposed himself to be mounted, and 
charging through the ranks of his enemy. At every tree he 
made a blow, of course, as at a foot soldier ; and just as he was 
making the cut “ St. George” at a half-burnt sapling, he landed 
in the highway, and, to his utter amazement, at the feet of his 
own spouse. When Mrs. Hollister, who was toiling up the hill, 
followed by at least twenty curious boys, leaning with one hand 
on the staff with which she ordinarily walked, and bearing in the 
other an empty bag, witnessed this exploit of her husband, indig- 
nation immediately got the better, not only of her religion, but 
of her philosophy. 

“ Why, sargeant ! is it flying ye are ?” she cried — “ That I 
should live to see a husband of mine turn his back to the 
inimy ! and sich a one ! Here have I been telling the b’ys, as 
we come along, all about the saige of Yorrektown, and how ye 
was hurted ; and how ye’d be acting the same ag’in the day ; 
and I mate ye retraiting jist as the first gun is fired. Och ! I 
may trow away the bag ! for if there’s plunder, ’twill not be the 
wife of sich as yeerself that will be privileged to be getting the 
same. They do say, too, there is a power of goold and silver 
in the place — the Lord forgive me for setting my heart on 
worreldly things ; but what falls in the battle, there’s scriptei 
for believing, is the just property of the victor.” 

“ Retreating !” exclaimed the amazed veteran ; “ where’s my 
horse ? he has been shot under me — I ” 


THE PIONEERS. 


4^9 


“ Is the man mad ?” interrupted his wife — “ divil the horse 
do ye own, sargeant, and ye’re nothing hut a shabby captain 
of malaishy. Oh ! If the ra’al captain was here, ’tis the 
other way ye’d be riding, dear, or you would not follow your 
laider !” 

While this worthy couple were thus discussing events, the 
battle began to rage more violently than ever above them. 
When the Leather-stocking saw his enemy fairly under head- 
way, as Benjamin would express it, he gave his attention again 
to the right wing of the assailants. It would have been easy 
for Kirby, with his powerful frame, to have seized the moment 
to scale the bastion, and, with his great strength, to have sent 
both its defenders in pursuit of the veteran ; but hostility 
appeared to be the passion that the w T ood-chopper indulged the 
least in at that moment, for, in a voice that was heard by the 
retreating left wing, he shouted — 

“ Hurra ! well done, captain ! keep it up ! how he handles 
his bush-hook ! he makes nothing of a sapling !” and such 
other encouraging exclamations to the flying veteran, until, 
overcome by mirth, the good-natured fellow seated himself on 
the ground, kicking the earth with delight, and giving vent to 
peal after peal of laughter. 

Natty stood all this time in a menacing attitude, with his 
rifle pointed over the breast-work, watching with a quick and 
cautious eye the least movement of the assailants. The outcry 
unfortunately tempted the ungovernable curiosity of Hiram to 
take a peep from behind his cover at the state of the battle. 
Though this evolution was performed with great caution, in 
protecting his front, he left, like many a better commander, his 
rear exposed to the attacks of his enemy. Mr. Doolittle 
belonged physically to a class of his countrymen, to whom 
nature has denied, in their formation, the use of curved lines. 
Everything about him was either straight or angular. But his 
tailor was a woman who worked, like a regimental contractor, 
by a set of rules that gave the same configuration to the whole 
human species. Consequently when Mr. Doolittle leaned for- 


480 


THE PIONEERS. 


ward in the manner described, a loose drapery appeared behind 
the tree, at which the rifle of Natty was pointed with the quick- 
ness of lightning. A less experienced man would have aimed 
at the flowing robe, which hung like a festoon half way to the 
earth ; but the Leather-stocking knew both the man and his 
female tailor better ; and when the smart report of the rifle was 
heard, Kirby, who watched the whole manoeuvre in breathless 
expectation, saw th 3 bark fly from the beach, and the cloth, at 
some distance above the loose folds, wave at the same instant. 
No battery was ever unmasked with more promptitude than 
Hiram advanced from behind the tree at this summons. 

He made two or three steps, with great precision, to the 
front, and placing one hand on the afflicted part, stretched forth 
the other, with a menacing air towards Natty, and cried aloud — 
“ Gawl darn ye ! this shan’t be settled so easy ; I’ll follow it 
up from the * common pleas’ to the ‘court of errors.’ ” 

Such a shocking imprecation, from the mouth of so orderly a 
man as Squire Doolittle, with the fearless manner in which he 
exposed himself, together with, perhaps, the knowledge that 
Natty’s rifle was unloaded, encouraged the troops in the rear, 
who gave a loud shout, and fired a volley into the tree-tops, 
after the contents of the swivel. Animated by their own noise, 
the men now rushed on in earnest ; and Billy Kirby, who 
thought the joke, good as it was, had gone far enough, was in 
the act of scaling the works, when Judge Temple appeared on 
the opposite side, exclaiming— 

“ Silence and peace ! why do I see murder and bloodshed 
attempted ? is not the law sufficient to protect itself, that armed 
bands must be gathered, as in rebellion and war, to see justice 
performed ?” 

“ ’Tis the posse comitatus,” shouted the Sheriff, from a distant 
rock, “ who ” 

“ Say rather a posse of demons. I command the peace.” — 
“ Hold ! shed not blood !” cried a voice from the top of the 
Vision. “ Hold, for the sake of Heaven, fire no more ! all shall 
be yielded ! you shall enter the cave !” 


THE PIONEERS. 


481 


Amazement produced the desired effect. Natty, who had 
reloaded his piece, quietly seated himself on the logs, and rested 
his head on his hand, while the “ Light Infantry” ceased their 
military movements, and waited the issue in suspense. 

In less than a minute Edwards came rushing down the hill, 
followed by Major Hartmann with a velocity that was surpris- 
ing for his years. They reached the terrace in an instant, from 
which the youth led the way, by the hollow in the rock, to the 
mouth of the cave, into which they both entered ; leaving all 
without silent, and gazing after them with astonishment. 


21 


482 


THE PIONEEHS, 


CHAPTER XL. 

I am dumb. 

Were you the Doctor, and I knew you not 1 

Shakspear*. 

During the five or six minutes that elapsed before the youth 
and Major re-appeared, Judge Temple and the Sheriff^ together 
with most of the volunteers, ascended to the terrace, where tho 
latter began to express their conjectures of the result, and to 
recount their individual services in the conflict. But the sight 
of the peace-makers ascending the ravine shut every mouth. 

On a rude chair, covered with undressed deer-skins, they 
supported a human being, whom they seated carefully and 
respectfully in the midst of the assembly. His head was 
covered by long smooth locks of the color of snow. His dress, 
which was studiously neat and clean, was composed of such 
fabrics as none but the wealthiest classes wear, but was thread- 
bare and patched ; and on his feet were placed a pair of 
moccasins, ornamented in the best manner of Indian ingenuity. 
The outlines of his face were grave and dignified, though his 
vacant eye, which opened and turned slowly to the faces of 
those around him in unmeaning looks, too surely announced 
that the period had arrived, when age brings the mental imbe- 
cility of childhood. 

Natty had followed the supporters of this unexpected object 
to the top of the cave, and took his station at a little distance 
behind him, leaning on his rifle, in the midst of his pur- 
suers, with a fearlessness that showed that heavier interests than 
those which affected himself were to be decided. Major Hart- 
mann placed himself beside the aged man, uncovered, with his 
whole soul beaming through those eyes which so commonly 
danced with frolic and humor. Edwards rested with one hand 


THE PIONEERS. 


483 


familiarly, but affectionately, on the chair, though his heart was 
swelling with emotions that denied him utterance. 

All eyes were gazing intently, but each tongue continued 
mute. At length the decrepit stranger, turning his vacant 
looks from face to face, made a feeble attempt to rise, while 
a faint smile crossed his wasted face, like an habitual effort 
at courtesy, as he said, in a hollow, tremulous voice — 

“ Be pleased to be seated, gentlemen. The council will open 
immediately. Each one who loves a good and virtuous king, 
will wish to see these colonies continue loyal. Be seated — 
I pray you, be seated, gentlemen. The troops shall halt for the 
night.” 

“ This is the wandering of insanity !” said Marmaduke ; “ who 
will explain this scene ?” 

“No, sir,” said Edwards, firmly, “’tis only the decay of 
nature ; who is answerable for its pitiful condition, remains to be 
shown.” 

“Will the gentlemen dine with us, my son?” said the 
old stranger, turning to a voice that he both knew and 
loved. “Order a repast suitable for his Majesty’s officers. 
You know we have the best of game always at command.” 

“ Who is this man ?” asked Marmaduke, in a hurried voice, 
in which the dawnings of conjecture united with interest to put 
the question. 

“ This man !” returned Edwards calmly, his voice, however, 
gradually rising as he proceeded ; “ this man, sir, whom you 
behold hid in caverns, and deprived of everything that can 
make life desirable, was once the companion and counsellor of 
those who ruled your country. This man, whom you see 
helpless and feeble, was once a warrior, so brave and fear- 
less, that even the intrepid natives gave him the name of 
the Fire-eater. This man, whom you now see destitute of even 
the ordinary comfort of a cabin, in which to shelter his head, 
was once the owner of great riches ; and, Judge Temple, he was 
the rightful proprietor of this very soil on which we stand. 
This man was the father of—” 


484 


THE PIONEERS. 


“This then,” cried Marmaduke, with a powerful emotion, 
this, then, is the lost Major Effingham !” 

“Lost indeed,” said the youth, fixing a piercing eye on 
the other. 

“ And you ! and you !” continued the Judge, articulating with 
difficulty. 

“ I am his grandson.” 

A minute passed in profound silence. All eyes were fixed on 
the speakers, aud even the old German appeared to wait 
the issue in deep anxiety. But the moment of agitation soon 
passed. Marmaduke raised his head from his bosom, where it 
had sunk, not in shame, but in devout mental thanksgiv- 
ings, and, as large tears fell over his fine manly face, he grasped 
the hand of the youth warmly, and said — 

“Oliver, I forgive all thy harshness — all thy suspicions. 
I now see it all. I forgive thee everything, but suffering 
this aged man to dwell in such a place, when not only my 
habitation, but my fortune, were at his and thy command.” 

“ He’s true as ter steel !” shouted Major Hartmann ; “ titn’t I 
tell you, lat, dat Marmatuke Temple vast a frient dat woult 
never fail in ter dime as of neet ?” 

“It is true, Judge Temple, that my opinions of your conduct 
have been staggered by what this worthy gentleman has told 
me. When I found it impossible to convey my grandfather 
back whence the enduring love of this old man brought 
him, without detection and exposure, I went to the Mohawk in 
quest of one of his former comrades, in whose justice I had 
dependence. He is your friend, Judge Temple, but if what 
he says be true, both my father and myself may have judged 
you harshly.” 

“ You name your father !” said Marmaduke, tenderly — “ was 
he, indeed, lost in the packet ?” 

“He was. He had left me, after several years of fruit- 
less application and comparative poverty, in Nova Scotia, 
to obtain the compensation for his losses which the British 
commissioners had at length awarded. After spending a year 


THE PIONEERS. 


486 


in England, lie was returning to Halifax, on his way to a 
government to which he had been appointed, in the West 
Indies, intending to go the place where my grandfather had 
sojourned during and since the war, and take him with us.” 

“ But thou !” said Marmaduke, with powerful interest ; “ 1 
had thought that thou hadst perished with him.” 

A flush passed over the cheeks of the young man, who gazed 
about him at the wondering faces of the volunteers, and conti- 
nued silent. Marmaduke turned to the veteran captain, who 
just then rejoined his command, and said — 

“ March thy soldiers back again, and dismiss them ; the zeal 
of the Sheriff has much mistaken his duty. Dr. Todd, I will 
thank you to attend to the injury which Hiram Doolittle 
has received in this untoward affair. Richard, you will oblige 
me by sending up the carriage to the top of the hill. Benjamin, 
return to your duty in my family.” 

Unwelcome as these orders were to most of the auditors, the 
suspicion that they had somewhat exceeded the wholesome 
restraints of the law, and the habitual respect with which 
all the commands of the Judge were received, induced a 
prompt compliance. 

When they were gone, and the rock was left to the parties 
most interested in an explanation, Marmaduke, pointing to the 
aged Major Effingham, said to his grandson — 

“ Had we not better remove thy parent from this open 
place, until my carriage can arrive 

“ Pardon me, sir, the air does him good, and he has taken it 
it whenever there was no dread of a discovery. I know not 
how to act, Judge Temple ; ought I, can I, suffer Major Effing- 
ham to become an inmate of your family ?” 

“ Thou shall be thyself the judge,” said Marmaduke. “ Thy 
father was my early friend. He intrusted his fortune to 
my care. When we separated, he had such confidence in me, 
that he wished no security, no evidence of the trust, even had 
there being time or convenience for exacting it. — This thou 
hast heard ?” 


48G 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ Most truly, sir,” said Edwards, or rather Effingham, as we 
must now call him. 

“ We differed in politics. If the cause of this country 
was successful, the trust was sacred with me, for none knew of 
thy father’s interest. If the crown still held its sway, it would 
be easy to restore the property of so loyal a subject as Colonel 
Effingham. — Is not this plain ?” 

“ The premises are good, sir,” continued the youth, with the 
same incredulous look as before. 

“ Listen — listen, poy,” said the German. “ Dere is not a hair 
as of ter rogue in ter het of her Tchooge.” 

“ We all know the issue of the struggle,” continued Marma- 
duke, disregarding both. “ Thy grandfather was left in Con- 
necticut, regularly supplied by thy father with the means 
of such a subsistence as suited his wants. This I well knew, 
though I never had intercourse with him, even in our happiest 
days. Thy father retired with the troops to prosecute his claims 
on England. At all events, his losses must be great, for 
his real estates were sold, and I became the lawful purchaser. It 
was not unnatural to wish that he might have no bar to its just 
recovery.” 

“ There was none, but the difficulty of providing for so many 
claimants.” 

“ But there would have been one, and an insuperable one, had 
I announced to the world that I. held these estates, multiplied, 
by the times and my industry, a hundred fold in value, only as 
his trustee. Thou knowest that I supplied him with considera- 
ble sums, immediately after the war.” 

“You did, until •” 

“ My letters were returned unopened. • Thy father had much 
of thy own spirit, Oliver ; he was sometimes hasty and rash.” 
The Judge continued, in a self-condemning manner — “ Perhaps 
my fault lies the other way ; I may possibly look too far ahead, 
and calculate too deeply. It certainly was a severe trial 
to allow the man whom I most loved, to think ill of me for 
seven years, in order that he might honestly apply for his just 


THE PIONEERS. 


487 


remunerations. Bui had he opened my last letters, thou 
wouldst have learned the whole truth. Those I sent him 
to England, by what my agent writes me, he did read. He 
died, Oliver, knowing all. He died, my friend, and I thought 
thou hadst died with him.” 

“ Our poverty would not permit us to pay for two passages,” 
said the youth, with the extraordinary emotion with which he 
ever alluded to the degraded state of his family ; “ I was left in 
the Province to wait for his return, and when the sad news of 
his loss reached me, I was nearly penniless.” 

“ And what didst thou, boy ?” asked Marmaduke in a falter- 
ing voice. 

“ 1 took my passage here in search of my grandfather ; for I 
well knew that his resources were gone, with the half-pay of 
my father. On reaching his abode, I learnt that he had left it 
in secret ; though the reluctant hireling, who had deserted him 
in his poverty, owned to my urgent entreaties, that he believed 
he had been carried away by an old man who had formerly 
been his servant. I knew at once it was Natty, for my father 
often” 

“Was Natty a servant of thy grandfather ?” exclaimed the 
Judge. 

“ Of that, too, were you ignorant ?” said the youth, in evident 
surprise. 

“ How should I know it ? I never met the Major, nor was 
the name of Bumppo ever mentioned to me. I knew him only 
as a man of the woods, and one who lived by hunting. Such 
men are too common to excite surprise.” 

“ He was reared in the family of my grandfather ; served him 
for many years during their campaigns at the west, where he 
became attached to the woods ; and he was left here as a 
kind of locum tenens on the lands that old Mohegan (whoso 
life my grandfather once saved) induced the Delawares to grant 
to him, when they admitted him as- an honorary member of 
their tribe.” 

This, then, is thy Indian blood ?” 


488 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ I have no other,” said Edwards, smiling ; — “ Major Effing- 
ham was adopted as the son of Mohegan, who at that time was 
the greatest man in his nation ; and my father, who visited 
those people when a boy, received the name of the Eagle from 
them, on account of the shape of his face, as I understand. 
They have extended his title to me. I have no other Indian 
blood or breeding; though I have seen the hour, Judge 
Temple, when I could wish that such had been my lineage and 
education.” 

“ Proceed with thy tale,” said Marmaduke. 

“ I have but little more to say, sir. I followed to the lake 
where I had so often been told that Natty dwelt, and found 
him maintaining his old master in secret ; for even he could not 
bear to exhibit to the world, in his poverty and dotage, a man 
whom a whole people once looked up to with respect.” 

“ And what did you ?” 

“ What did I ! I spent my last money in purchasing a rifle, 
clad myself in a coarse garb, and learned to be a hunter by the 
side of Leather-stocking. You know the rest, Judge Temple.” 

“ Ant vere vast olt Fritz Hartmann ?” said the German 
reproachfully ; “ didst never hear a name as of olt Fritz Hart- 
mann from ter mout of ter fader, lat ?” 

“ I may have been mistaken, gentlemen,” returned the youth ; 
“ but I had pride, and could not submit to such an exposure as 
this day even has reluctantly brought to light. I had plans 
that might have been visionary ; but, should my parent survive 
till autumn, I purposed taking him with me to the city, where 
we have distant relatives, who must have learnt to forget the 
Tory by this time. He decays rapidly,” he continued, mourn- 
fully, “ and must soon lie by the side of old Mohegan.” 

The air being pure, and the day fine, the party continued 
conversing on the rock, until the wheels of Judge Temple’s 
carriage were heard clattering up the side of the mountain, 
during which time the conversation was maintained with deep 
interest, each moment clearing up some doubtful action, and 
lessening the antipathy of the youth to Marmaduke. He no 


THE PIONEERS. 


489 


longer objected to the removal of his grandfather, who displayed 
a childish pleasure when he found himself seated once more in 
a carriage. When placed in the ample hall of the Mansion- 
house, the eyes of the aged veteran turned slowly to the objects 
in the apartment, and a look like the dawn of intellect would, 
for moments, flit across his features, when he invariably offered 
some useless courtesies to those near him, wandering painfully, 
in his subjects. The exercise and the change soon produced an 
exhaustion that caused them to remove him to his bed, where 
he lay for hours, evidently sensible of the change in his comforts, 
and exhibiting that mortifying picture of human nature, 
which too plainly shows that the propensities of the animal 
continue even after the nobler part of the creature appears to 
have vanished. 

Until his parent was placed comfortably in bed, with Natty 
seated at his side, Effingham did not quit him. He then obeyed 
a summons to the library of the Judge, where he found the latter, 
with Major Hartmann, waiting for him. 

“ Read this paper, Oliver,” said Marmaduke to him, as he 
entered, “ and thou wilt find that, so far from intending thy 
family wrong during life, it has been my care to see that justice 
should be done at even a later day.” 

The youth took the paper, which his first glance told him 
was the will of the Judge. Hurried and agitated as he was, he 
discovered that the date corresponded with the time of the 
unusual depression of Marmaduke. As he proceeded his eyes 
began to moisten, and the hand which held the instrument 
shook violently. 

The will commenced with the usual forms, spun out by the 
ingenuity of Mr. Van der School ; but after this subject was 
fairly exhausted, the pen of Marmaduke became plainly visible. 
In clear, distinct, manly, and even eloquent language, he 
recounted his obligations to Colonel Effingham, the nature of 
their connexion, and the circumstances in which they separated. 
He then proceeded to relate the motives of his long silence, 
mentioning, however, large sums that he had forwarded to his 
21 * 


490 


THE PIONEERS. 


friend, which had been returned with the letters unopened. 
After this, he spoke of his search for the grandfather, who had 
unaccountably disappeared, and his fears that the direct heir of 
the trust was buried in the ocean with his father. 

After, in short, recounting in a clear narrative, the events 
which our readers must now be able to connect, he proceeded 
to make a fair and exact statement of the sums left in his care 
by Colonel Effingham. A devise of his whole estate to certain 
responsible trustees followed ; to hold the same for the benefit, 
in equal moieties, of his daughter, on one part, and of Oliver 
Effingham, formerly a major in the army of Great Britain, and 
of his son, Edward Effingham, and of his son Edward Oliver 
Effingham, or to the survivor of them, and the descendants of 
such survivor, for ever, on the other part. The trust was to 
endure until 1810, when, if no person appeared, or could be 
found, after sufficient notice, to claim the moiety so devised, 
then a certain sum, calculating the principal and interest of his 
debt to Colonel Effingham, was to be paid to the heirs at law 
of the Effingham family, and the bulk of his estate was to be 
conveyed in fee to his daughter, or her heirs. 

The tears fell from the eyes of the young man, as he read 
this undeniable testimony of the good faith of Marmaduke, 
and his bewildered gaze was still fastened on the paper, 
when a voice, that thrilled on every nerve, spoke near him, 
saying— 

“ Do you yet doubt us, Oliver ?” 

“ I have never doubted you /” cried the youth, recovering 
his recollection and his voice, as he sprang to seize the hand of 
Elizabeth ; “ no, not one moment has my faith in you 
wavered.” 

“ And my father ” 

“ God bless him !” 

“ I thank thee, my son,” said the J udge, exchanging a warm 
pressure of the hand with the youth ; “ but we have both 
erred ; thou hast been too hasty, and I have been too slow. 
One half of my estates shall be thine as soon as they can be 


491 




THE PIONEERS. 

conveyed to thee ; and if what my suspicions tell me be true, I 
suppose the other must follow speedily.” He took the hand 
which he held, and united it with that of his daughter, and 
motioned towards the door to the Major. 

“ I telt you vat, gal ?” said the old German, good-humor- 
edly ; “ if I vast as I vast ven I servit mit his grandfader on 
ter lakes, ter lazy tog shouln’t vin ter prize as for nottin.” 

“Come, come, old Fritz,” said the Judge ; “ you are seventy, 
not seventeen ; Richard waits for you with a bowl of egg-nog, in 
the hall.” 

“Richart! ter duyveli” exclaimed the other, hastening out 
of the room ; “ he makes ter nog ast for ter horse. I vilt show 
ter Sheriff mit my own hants ! Ter duyvel ! I pelieve he 
sweetens mit ter yankee melasses !” 

Marmaduke smiled and nodded affectionately at the young 
couple, and closed the door after them. If any of our readers 
expect that we are going to open it again, for their gratification, 
they are mistaken. 

The t6te-a-tete continued for a very unreasonable time ; how 
long we shall not say ; but it was ended by six o’clock in the 
evening, for at that hour Monsieur Le Quoi made his appear- 
ance agreeably to the appointment of the preceding day, and 
claimed the ear of Miss Temple. He was admitted ; when he 
made an offer of his hand, with much suavity, together with 
his “ amis beeg and leet’, his pere, his mere, and his sucre- 
boosh.” Elizabeth might, possibly, have previously entered into 
some embarrassing and binding engagements with Oliver, for 
she declined the tender of all, in terms as polite, though per- 
haps a little more decided, than those in which they were made. 

The Frenchman soon joined the German and the Sheriff in 
the hall, who compelled him to take a seat with them at the 
table, where, by the aid of punch, wine, and egg-nog, they soon 
extracted from the complaisant Monsieur Le Quoi the nature of 
his visit. It was evident that he had made the offer, as a duty 
which a well-bred man owed to a lady in such a retired place, 
before he left the country, and that his feelings were but very 


102 


THE PIONEERS. 


little, if at all, interested in the matter. After a few potations, 
the waggish pair persuaded the exhilarated Frenchman that 
there was an inexcusable partiality in offering to one lady, and 
not extending a similar courtesy to another. Consequently, 
about nine, Monsieur Le Quoi sallied forth to the rectory, on a 
similar mission to Miss Grant, which proved as successful as liis 
first effort in love. 

When he returned to the Mansion-house, at ten, Richard and 
the Major were still seated at the table. They attempted to 
persuade the Gaul, as the Sheriff called him, that he should 
next try Remarkable Pettibone. But, though stimulated by 
mental excitement and wine, two hours of abstruse logic were 
thrown away on this subject ; for he declined their advice, with 
a pertinacity truly astonishing in so polite a man. 

When Benjamin lighted Monsieur Le Quoi from the door, he 
said, at parting — 

“ If-so-be, Mounsheer, you’d run alongside Mistress Pretty- 
bones, as the Squire Dickens was bidding ye, ’tis my notion 
you’d have been grappled ; in which case, d’ye see, you mought 
have been troubled in swinging clear again in a handsome man- 
ner ; for thof Miss ’Lizzy and the parson’s young’un be tidy 
little vessels, that shoot by a body on a wind, Mistress Remark- 
able is sum’mat of a galliot fashion ; when you once takes ’em 
in tow, they doesn’t like to be cast off again.” 


THE PIONEERS. 


400 


CHAPTER XLI. 


Yes, sweep ye on ! — We will not leave. 

For them who triumph those who grieve. 

With that armada gay 
Be laughter loud, and jocund shout — 

— But with that skiff 
Abides the minstrel tale. 

Loud ok the Isles. 

The events of our tale carry us through the summer ; and 
after making nearly the circle of the year, we must conclude our 
labors in the delightful month of October. Many important 
incidents had, however, occurred in the intervening period ; a 
few of which it may be necessary to recount. 

The two principal were the marriage of Oliver and Elizabeth, 
and the death of Major Effingham. They both took place 
early in September ; and the former preceded the latter only a 
few days. The old man passed away like the last glimmering 
of a taper ; and though his death cast a melancholy over the 
family, grief could not ffillow such an end. 

One of the chief concerns of Marmaduke was to reconcile the 
even conduct of a magistrate with the course that his feelings 
dictated to the criminals. The day succeeding the discovery at 
the cave, however, Natty and Benjamin re-entered the jail 
peaceably, where they continued, well fed and comfortable, until 
the return of an express to Albany, who brought the Governor’s 
pardon to the Leather-stocking. In the meantime, proper 
means were employed to satisfy Hiram for the assaults on his 
person ; and on the same day, the two comrades issued together 
into society again, with their characters not at all affected by the 
imprisonment. 

Mr. Doolittle began to discover, that neither architecture, nor 


494 


THE PIONEERS. 


his law, was quite suitable to the growing wealth and intelli- 
gence of the settlement ; and after exacting the last cent that 
was attainable in his compromises, to use the language of the 
country, he “pulled up stakes,” and proceeded further west, 
scattering his professional science and legal learning through 
the land ; vestiges of both of which are to be discovered there 
even to the present hour. 

Poor Jotham, whose life paid the forfeiture of his lolly, 
acknowledged before he died, that his reasons for lelieving in a 
mine were extracted from the lips of a sibyl, who, by looking in 
a magic glass, was enabled to discover the hidden treasures of 
the earth. Such superstition was frequent in the new settle- 
ments ; and after the first surprise was over, the better part of 
the community forgot the subject. But, at the same time that 
it removed from the breast of Richard a lingering suspicion of 
the acts of the three hunters, it conveyed a mortifying lesson to 
him, which brought many quiet hours, in future, to his cousin 
Marmaduke. It may be remembered, that the Sheriff con- 
fidently pronounced this to be no “ visionary” scheme, and that 
word was enough to shut his lips, at any time within the next 
ten years. 

Monsieur Le Quoi, who has been introduced to our readers, 
because no picture of that country would be faithful without 
some such character, found the island of Martinique, and his 
“ sucre-boosh,” in possession of the English ; but Marmaduke 
and his family were much gratified in soon hearing that he had 
returned to his bureau, in Paris ; where he afterwards issued 
yearly bulletins of his happiness, and of his gratitude to his 
friends in America. 

With this brief explanation, we must return to our narrative. 
Let the American reader imagine one of our mildest October 
mornings, when the sun seems a ball of silvery fire, and the 
elasticity of the air is felt while it is inhaled, imparting vigor 
and life to the whole system ; — the weather, neither too warm 
nor too cold, but of that happy temperature which stirs the 
blood, without bringing the lassitude of spring It was on such 


THE PIONEERS. 


405 


a morning, about the middle of the month, that Oliver entered 
the hall where Elizabeth was issuing her usual orders for the 
day, and requested her to join him in a short excursion to the 
lake side. The tender melancholy in the manner of her hus- 
band caught the attention of Elizabeth, who instantly abandoned 
her concerns, threw a light shawl across her shoulders, and con- 
cealing her raven hair under a gipsy, she took his arm, and 
submitted herself, without a question, to his guidance. They 
crossed the bridge, and had turned from the highway, along 
the margin of the lake, before a word was exchanged. Eliza- 
beth well knew, by the direction, the object of the walk, and 
respected the feelings of her companion too much to indulge in 
untimely conversation. But when they gained the open fields, 
and her eye roamed over the placid lake, covered with wild 
fowl already journeying from the great northern waters to seek 
a warmer sun, but lingering to play in the limpid sheet of the 
Otsego, and to the sides of the mountain, which were gay with 
the thousand dyes of autumn, as if to grace their bridal, the 
swelling heart of the young wife burst out in speech. 

“ This is not a time for silence, Oliver 1” she said, clinging 
more fondly to his arm ; “ everything in nature seems to speak 
the praises of the Creator ; why should we, who have so much 
to be grateful for, be silent ?” 

“ Speak on !” said her husband, smiling ; “ I love the sounds 
of your voice. You must anticipate our errand hither : I have 
told you my plans : how do you like them ?” 

“ I must first see them,” returned his wife. “ But I have had 
my plans too ; it is time I should begin to divulge them.” 

“ You ! It is something for the comfort of my old friend 
Natty, I know.” 

“ Certainly of Natty ; but we have other friends besides 
the Leather-stocking to serve. Do you forget Louisa, and her 
father?” 

“ No, surely ; have I not given one of the best farms in the 
county to the good divine. As for Louisa, I should wish you to 
keep her always near us.” 


496 


THE PIONEERS. 


“ You do !” said Elizabeth, slightly compressing her lips ; 
“ but poor Louisa may have other views for herself ; she may 
wish to follow my example, and marry.” 

“ I don’t think it,” said Effingham, musing a moment ; “ I 
really don’t know any one hereabouts good enough for her.” 

“ Perhaps not here ; but there are other places besides Tern- 
pleton, and other churches besides * New St. Paul’s.’ ” 

“ Churches, Elizabeth ! you would not wish to lose Mr. 
Grant, surely ! Though simple, he is an excellent man. I 
shall never find another who has half the veneration for my 
orthodoxy. You would humble me from a saint to a very 
common sinner.” 

“It must be done, sir,” returned the lady, with a half- 
concealed smile, “though it degrades you from an angel 
to a man.” 

“ But you forget the farm.” 

“ He can lease it, as others do. Besides, would you have a 
clergyman toil in the fields ?” 

“ Where can he go ? you forget Louisa.” 

“No, I do not forget Louisa,” said Elizabeth, again compress- 
ing her beautiful lips. “ You know, Effingham, that my father 
has told you that I ruled him, and that I should rule you. 
I am now about to exert my power.” 

“ Anything, anything, dear Elizabeth, but not at the expense 
of us all ; not at the expense of your friend.” 

“ How do you know, sir, that it will be so much at the 
expense of my friend ?” said the lady, fixing her eyes with 
a searching look on his countenance, where they met only 
the unsuspecting expression of manly regret. 

“ How do I know it ? why, it is natural that she should 
regret us.” 

“ It is our duty to struggle with our natural feelings,” 
returned the lady; “and there is but little cause to fear 
that such a spirit as Louisa’s will not effect it.” 

“ But what is your plan ?” 

“Listen, and you shall know. My father has procured a call 


THE PIONEERS. 


497 


for Mr. Grant, to one of the towns on the Hudson, where he can 
live more at his ease than in journeying through these woods ; 
where he can spend the evening of his life in comfort and quiet ; 
and where his daughter may meet with such society, and form 
such a connexion, as may be proper for one of her years and cha- 
racter.” 

“ Bess ! you amaze me ! I did not think you had been such a 
manager !” 

“ Oh ! I manage more deeply than you imagine, sir,” said the 
wife, archly smiling again ; “ but it is my will, and it is your 
duty to submit, — for a time at least.” 

Effingham laughed ; but as they approached the end of their 
walk, the subject was changed by common consent. 

The place at which they arrived was the little spot of 
level ground, where the cabin of the Leather-stocking had 
so long stood. Elizabeth found it entirely cleared of rubbish, 
and beautifully laid down in turf, by the removal of sods, 
which, in common with the surrounding country, had grown 
gay, under the influence of profuse showers, as if a second 
spring had passed over the land. This little place- was sur- 
rounded by a circle of mason-work, and they entered by a small 
gate, near which, to the surprise of both, the rifle of Natty was 
leaning against the wall. Hector and the slut reposed on the 
grass by its side, as if conscious that, however altered, they were 
lying on the ground, and were surrounded by objects, with 
which they were familiar. The hunter himself was stretched on 
the earth, before a head-stone of white marble, pushing aside 
with his fingers the long grass that had already sprung up from 
the luxuriant soil around its base, apparently to lay bare the 
inscription. By the side of this stone, which was a simple slab 
at the head of a grave, stood a rich monument, decorated with 
an urn, and ornamented with the chisel. 

Oliver and Elizabeth approached the graves with a light 
tread, unheard by the old hunter, whose sunburnt face was 
working, and whose eyes twinkled as if something impeded 


498 


THE PIONEERS. 


their vision. After some little time, Natty raised himself 
slowly from the ground, and said aloud — 

“ Well, well — I’m bold to say it’s all right! There’s some- 
thing that I suppose is reading ; but I can’t make anything of 
it ; though the pipe and the tomahawk, and the moccasins, be 
pretty well — pretty well, for a man that, I dares to say, never 
seed ’ither of the things. Ah’s me ! there they lie, side by side, 
happy enough ! Who will there be to put me in the ’arth 
when my time comes ?” 

“ When that unfortunate hour arrives, Natty, friends shall 
not be wanting to perform the last offices for you,” said Oliver, 
a little touched at the hunter’s soliloquy. 

The old man turned, without manifesting surprise, for he had 
got the Indian habits in this particular, and running his hand 
under the bottom of his nose, seemed to wipe away his sorrow 
with the action. 

“ You’ve come out to see the graves, children, have ye ?” 
he said ; “ well, well, they’re wholesome sights to young as 
well as old.” 

“ I hope they are fitted to your liking,” said Effingham ; 
“ no one has a better right than yourself to be consulted in 
the matter.” 

“ Why, seeing that I an’t used to fine graves,” returned 
the old man, “it is but little matter consarning my taste. Ye 
laid the Major’s head to the west, and Mohegan’s to the east, 
did ye, lad ?” 

“ At your request it was done.” 

“ It’s so best,” said the hunter ; “ they thought they had to 
journey different ways, children ; though there is One greater 
than all, who’ll bring the just together, at his own time, and 
who’ll whiten the skin of a black-moor, and place him on 
a footing with princes.” 

“ There is but little reason to doubt that,” said Elizabeth, 
whose decided tones were changed to a soft, melancholy voice ; 
u I trust we shall all meet again, and be happy together.” 


THE PIONEERS. 


499 


“Shall we, child, shall we?” exclaimed the hunter, with 
unusual fervor ; “ there’s comfort in that thought too. But 
before I go, I should like to know what ’tis you tell these 
people, that be flocking into the country like pigeons in the 
spring, of the old Delaware, and of the bravest white man 
that ever trod the hills.” 

Effingham and Elizabeth were surprised at the manner of the 
Leather-stocking, which was unusually impressive and solemn ; 
but, attributing it to the scene, the young man turned to the 
monument, and read aloud — 

“ ‘ Sacred to the memory of Oliver Effingham, Esquire, for- 
merly a Major in his B. Majesty’s 60th Foot ; a soldier of tried 
valor ; a subject of chivalrous loyalty ; and a man of honesty. 
To these virtues, he added the graces of a Christian. The morn- 
ing of his life was spent in honor, wealth, and power ; but its 
evening was obscured by poverty, neglect, and disease, which 
were alleviated only by the tender care of his old, faithful, and 
upright friend and attendant, Nathaniel Bumppo. His descen- 
dants rear this stone to the virtues of the master, and to the 
enduring gratitude of the servant.’” 

The Leather-stocking stared at the sound of his own name, 
and a smile of joy illumined his wrinkled features, as he 
said — 

“ And did ye say it, lad ? have you then got the old man’s 
name cut in the stone, by the side of his master’s ? God bless 
ye, children ! ’twas a kind thought, and kindness goes to the 
heart as life shortens.” 

Elizabeth turned her back to the speakers. Effingham made 
a fruitless effort before he succeeded in saying — 

u It is there cut in plain marble ; but it should have been 
written in letters of gold 1” 

“ Show me the name, boy,” said Natty, with simple eager- 
ness ; “ let me see my own name placed in such honor. ’Tis a 
fdn’rous gift to a man who leaves none of his name and family 
behind him, in a country where he has tarried so long.” 

Effingham guided his finger to the spot, and Natty followed 


500 


THE PIONEERS. 


the windings of the letters to the end with deep interest, when 
he raised himself from the tomb, and said — 

“ I suppose it’s all right ; and it’s kindly thought, and kindly 
done ! But what have ye put over the Red-skin ?” 

“You shall hear — 

“ ‘This stone is raised to the memory of an Indian Chief, of 
the Delaware tribe, who was known by the several names of 
John Mohegan ; Mohican ’ ” 

“ Mo-hee-can, lad, they call theirselves ! ’he-can.” 

“ Mohican ; and Chingagook ’ ” 

“ ’Gach, boy ; — ’gach-gook ; Chingachgook, which, intarpreted, 
means Big-sarpent. The name should be set down right, for an 
Indian’s name has always some meaning in it.” 

“ I will see it altered. ‘ He was the last of his people who 
continued to inhabit this country ; and it may be said of him, 
that his faults were those of an Indian, and his virtues those of 
a man” 

“ You never said truer word, Mr. Oliver ; ah’s me ! if you had 
know’d him as I did, in his prime, in that very battle where the 
old gentleman, who sleeps by his side, saved his life, when them 
thieves, the Iroquois, had him at the stake, you’d have said all 
that, and more too. I cut the thongs with this very hand, and 
gave him my own tomahawk and knife, seeing that the rifle 
was always my fav’rite weapon. He did lay about him like a 
man ! I met him as I was coming home from the trail, with 
eleven Mingo scalps on his pole. You needn’t shudder, Madam 
Effingham, for they was all from shaved heads and warriors. 
When I look about me, at these hills, where I used to could 
count sometimes twenty smokes, curling over the tree-tops, from 
the Delaware camps, it raises mournful thoughts, to think that 
not a Red-skin is left of them all ; unless it be a drunken vaga- 
bond from the Oneidas, or them Yankee Indians, who, they say, 
be moving up from the sea-shore ; and who belong to none of 
God’s creaters, to my seeming, being, as it were, neither fish 
nor flesh — neither white man nor savage. Well, well ! the 
time has come at last, and I must go — ” 


THE PIONEERS. 


501 


“ Go !” echoed Edwards, “ whither do you go ?” 

The Leather-stocking, who had imbibed, unconsciously, many 
of the Indian qualities, though he always thought of himself as 
of a civilized being, compared with even the Delawares, averted 
his face to conceal the workings of his muscles, as he stooped to 
lift a large pack from behind the tomb, which he placed delibe- 
rately on his shoulders. 

“ Go !” exclaimed Elizabeth, approaching him with a hurried 
step ; “ you should not venture so far in the woods alone, at 
your time of life, Natty ; indeed, it is imprudent. He is bent, 
Effingham, on some distant hunting.” 

“ What Mrs. Effingham tells you is true, Leather-stocking,” 
said Edwards ; “ there can be no necessity for your submitting 
to such hardships now ! So throw aside your pack, and confine 
your hunt to the mountains near us, if you will go.” 

“ Hardship ! ’tis a pleasure, children, and the greatest that is 
left me on this side the grave.” 

“ No, no ; you shall not go to such a distance,” cried Eliza- 
beth, laying her white hand on his deer-skin pack — “ I am 
right ! I feel his camp-kettle, and a canister of powder ! he must 
not be suffered to wander so far from us, Oliver; remember 
how suddenly Mohegan dropped away.” 

“ I know’d the parting would come hard, children ; I know’d 
it would !” said Natty, “ and so I got aside to look at the 
graves by myself, and thought if I left ye the keepsake which 
the Major gave me, when we first parted in the woods, ye 
wouldn’t take it unkind, but would know, that, let the old man’s 
body go where it might, his feelings stayed behind him.” 

“ This means something more than common !” exclaimed the 
youth ; “ where is it, Natty, that you purpose going ?” 

The hunter drew nigh him with a confident, reasoning air, 
as if what he had to say would silence all objections, and 
replied — 

“ Why, lad, they tell me, that on the Big-lakes there’s the 
best of hunting, and a great range, without a white man on it, 
unless it may be one like myself. I’m weary of living in clear- 


502 


THE PIONEERS. 


mgs, and where the hammer is sounding in my ears from 
sunrise to sundown. And though I’m much bound to ye both, 
children — I wouldn’t say it if it was not true — I crave to go 
into the woods ag’in, I do.” 

“ Woods !” echoed Elizabeth, trembling with her feelings ; 
u do you not call these endless forests woods ?” 

tl Ah ! child, these be nothing to a man that’s used to the 
wilderness. I have took but little comfort sin’ your father come 
on with his settlers ; but I wouldn’t go far, while the life was in 
the body that lies under the sod there. But now he’s gone, 
and Chingachgook is gone ; and you be both young and happy. 
Yes ! the big house has rung with merriment this month past ! 
And now, I thought, was the time to try to get a little comfort 
in the close of my days. Woods ! indeed ! I doesn’t call these 
woods, Madam Effingham, where I lose myself every day of my 
life in the clearings.” 

“.If there be anything wanting to your comfort, name it, 
Leather-stocking ; if it be attainable it is yours.” 

“ You mean all for the best, lad; I know it; and so does 
Madam, too : but your ways isn’t my ways. ’Tis like the dead 
there, who thought, when the breath was in them, that one 
went east, and one went west, to find their heavens ; but they’ll 
meet at last ; and so shall we, children. Yes, ind as you’ve 
begun, and we shall meet in the land of the just at last.” 

“ This is so new ! so unexpected !” said Elizabeth, in almost 
breathless excitement ; “ I had thought you meant to live with 
us and die with us, Natty.” 

“ Words are of no avail,” exclaimed her husband ; “ the 
habits of forty years are not to be dispossessed by the ties of a 
day. I know you too well to urge you further, Natty ; unless 
you will let me build you a hut on one of the distant hills, 
where we can sometimes see you, and know that you are 
comfortable.” 

“ Don’t fear for the Leather-stocking, children ; God will see 
that his days be provided for, and his ind happy. I know you 
mean all for the best, but our ways doesn’t agree. I love the 


THE PIONEERS. 


603 


woods, and ye relish the face of man ; I eat when hungry, and 
drink when a-dry ; and ye keep stated hours and rules : nay, 
nay, you even over-feed the dogs, lad, from pure kindness ; and 
hounds should be gaunty to run well. The meanest of God’s 
creaters be made for some use, and I’m formed for the wilder- 
ness ; if ye love me, let me go where my soul craves to be 
ag’in !” 

The appeal was decisive ; and not another word of entreaty 
for him to remain was then uttered ; but Elizabeth bent her 
head to her bosom and wept, while her husband dashed away 
the tears from his eyes ; and, with hands that almost refused to 
perform their office, he produced his pocket-book, and extended 
a parcel of bank-notes to the hunter. 

“ Take these,” he said, “ at least take these ; secure them 
about your person, and in the hour of need, they will do you 
good service.” 

The old man took the notes, and examined them with a 
curious eye. 

“ This, then, is some of the new-fashioned money that they’ve 
been making at Albany, out of paper ! It can’t be worth much 
to they that hasn’t laming! No, no, lad — take back the stuff; 
it will do me no sarvice. I took kear to get all the French- 
man’s powder afore he broke up, and they say lead grows 
where I’m going. It isn’t even fit for wads, seeing that 1 
use none but leather ! — Madam Effingham, let an old man 
kiss your hand, and wish God’s choicest blessings on you and 
your’n.” 

“ Once more let me beseech you, stay !” cried Elizabeth. 
“ Do not, Leather-stocking, leave me to grieve for the man 
who has twice rescued me from death, and who has served 
those I love so faithfully. , For my sake, if not for your own, 
stay. I shall see you in those frightful dreams that still haunt 
my nights, dying in poverty and age, by the side of those terrific 
beasts you slew. There will be no evil, that sickness, want, 
•and solitude can inflict, that my fancy will not conjure as your 



504 


THE PIONEERS. 


fate. Stay with us, old man, if not for your own sake, at least 
for ours.” 

“ Such thoughts and bitter dreams, Madam Effingham,” 
returned the hunter, solemnly, “ will never haunt an innocent 
parson long. They’ll pass away with God’s pleasure. And if 
the cat-a-mounts be yet brought to your eyes in sleep, ’tis not 
for my sake, but to show you the power of Him that led me 
there to save you. Trust in God, Madam, and your honorable 
husband, and the thoughts for an old man like me can never be 
long nor bitter. I pray that the Lord will keep you in mind — 
the Lord that lives in clearings as well as in the wilderness — 
and bless you, and all that belong to you, from this time till the 
great day when the whites shall meet the red-skins in judgment, 
and justice shall be the law, and not power.” 

Elizabeth raised her head, and offered her colorless cheek to 
his salute, when he lifted his cap and touched it respectfully. 
His hand was grasped with convulsive fervor by the youth, who 
continued silent. The hunter prepared himself for his journey, 
drawing his belt tighter, and wasting his moments in the little 
reluctant movements of a sorrowful departure. Once or twice he 
essayed to speak, but a rising in his throat prevented it. At 
length he shouldered his rifle, and cried with a clear huntsman’s 
call that echoed through the woods — 

“ He-e-e-re, he-e-e-re, pups — away, dogs, away ; — ye’ll be 
foot-sore afore ye see the ind of the journey !” 

The hounds leaped from the earth at this cry, and scenting 
around the graves and the silent pair, as if conscious of their 
own destination, they followed humbly at the heels of their 
master. A short pause succeeded, during which even the 
youth concealed his face on his grandfather’s tomb. When the 
pride of manhood, however, had suppressed the feelings of 
nature, he turned to renew his entreaties, but saw that the 
cemetery was occupied only by himself and his wife. 

“ He is gone !” cried Effingham. 

Elizabeth raised her face, and saw the old hunter standing, 


THE PIONEERS. 


505 


looking back for a moment, on the verge of the wood. As he 
caught their glances, he drew his hard hand hastily across his 
eyes again, waved it on high for an adieu, and uttering a forced 
cry to his dogs, who were crouching at his feet, he entered the 
forest. 

This was the last that they ever saw of the Leather-stocking, 
whose rapid movements preceded the pursuit which Judge 
Temple both ordered and conducted. He had gone far 
towards the setting sun, — the foremost in that band of pioneers 
who are opening the way for the march of the nation across the 
continent. 


THE END. 
















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